-Guardians' Tale- Adventures Book One
by Chiharo12
Summary: Chiharo Onoke, the new Guardian of the Purple Dragon, has hatched. However, after going through many hardships, she learns that she is one thousand years too early. Join Chiharo and her friends in an all-new journey, as the young Guardian discovers who she is and what she must achieve.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I, Setsuna, Chiharo12, whatever, do not own the names Berylsythe, Icklemar, Hydrax, Thracklor, the characters Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, Terrador, Malefor, the Dragon Temple, Convexity, or most of the abilities the characters use.**

**Claimer: I do, however, own everything else and would appreciate it if people would not take/use them. Thanks :)**

* * *

-Guardians' Tale-

Adventures

Prologue: The Legend

Long ago there lived powerful beings called Guardians. These beings controlled the power of the elements: Spirit, Fire, Electricity, Ice, Earth, Darkness, Fear, Shadow, Wind, Poison, and Light.

The Guardians had one job: ensure that their dragons were safe and peril was nowhere in the world. All was well until… Malefor turned on his fellow dragons and Guardians.

When the young purple dragon had become corrupt because of all his success going to his head and making him more, and more power hungry, the dragon's Guardian, Nekotiri, tried to talk to him and convince Malefor that what he was doing was wrong. But he simply would not listen.

An all-out war broke out because of the purple dragon's selfishness. Even Malefor's closest friends, Berylsythe, Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor, tried to stop the dragon's foolishness, but to no avail. He simply refused to stop the madness.

It all came down to a final battle with Malefor, Nekotiri, and the Guardians of the Dragon Temple. In this battle, Nekotiri sacrificed herself to lock Malefor into the Portal of Convexity.

Or so they thought…

* * *

**I'd appreciate it if anyone who reads this reviews it. Whether it's constructive criticism or just that you like the story, that's fine.**

**I don't know exactly what you other Spyro fans like, but this is what _I_ like. When reading my story, please try to keep an open mind about what's going on.**

**I'd also like to make sure all of you are aware that my people are _not_ humans. They're called humanoids. For more information, please check out my profile. Just look for the *.**

**-Setsuna**


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Mysterious Egg

One hot day, in the Season of Flame, in Rhone, the capital of the island continent New Mesopotamia-3, would be one to remember… it had been exactly five hundred years since the final battle of Malefor and Nekotiri.

A young boy about the age of eight- with chocolate brown hair and sapphire eyes- was running to the boundary of Rhone and Landslide Wave. This boy is the prince of New Mesopotamia-3. His name is Digivani.

The adventurous young prince saw something shining in the sand dunes of the Earth Territory.

"Gelick! I found something!" Digivani yelled to his advisor.

"What is it?" responded Gelick.

"I dunno… it looks like a purple jewel in a silver casing."

Gelick finally caught up with the boy. "Yes, I do believe you are right."

Digivani picked up the jewel and the crystal suddenly began to glow. When the glowing subsided, an egg was in the child's hands. "Cool..," he whispered, as his sapphire eyes sparkled.

The young prince and Gelick returned to the castle immediately.

"What do you think's inside it?" Digivani asked, eagerly.

"I… I don't know," responded Gelick.

"I wonder if it's a dragon. You know how rare they've become."

Gelick pondered the boy's statement for a few moments. "That is a very distinct possibility, my boy."

Digivani simply smiled and said, "I hope it's something I will be able to be good friends with."

"I'm sure it will."

. . .

In a place very far away, orange eyes watched as the prince carried the egg to his room and set it on a large bed of pillows.

"Take good care of her, my hatchling. I will be watching over you from here."

* * *

**I bet you can't guess what the orange eyes belong to. You'll have to read chapter seven, if you want to find out. :P**


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Experiment 3400462

It was a relatively warm day in the Season of Bloom. Digivani had had his fifteenth birthday a few months ago. But… the egg the prince found when he was eight still hadn't hatched, until…

Digivani was coming back to his room after going through his swordsmanship and magic training. As he came up he saw something purple moving. It was the egg!

The prince ran over to the egg and picked up. The mauve egg felt warm in his hands as it moved. It started to glow just as it had when he first found the jewel. Then the egg began to crack. Digivani quickly put it back down.

What emerged from the egg intrigued the prince. It was a being with silver skin. Digivani guessed the creature was female for she had what looked like ponytails on her head. Her hands, feet, and forehead glowed a wonderful turquois. The boing had two marks on her body: a blue-purple one on her head and a black one on her chest. She even had a tail!

There seemed to be something wrong with the child, though. Her eyes did not open and her body stayed motionless. Digivani picked her up and ran to the lab in the cellar. He hooked the girl up to a machine to monitor her heart beat and breathing.

"Gelick, watch her until I get back."

"Where are you going?"

"To find help."

Moments later…

Digivani came rushing down the stairs, frantically asking, "How is she? Is her breathing okay?"

"Do not worry, Digivani. She is fine," Gelick replied.

"Alright, get to work. We must make sure she survives," Digivani commanded his friends.

"Yes, Sir!"

The prince only cared to watch the girl, worried for her life.

"Sir, the child is starting to breathe better, she's going to make it."

. . .

The orange eyes continued watching the activity of the prince and the young girl.

"You can make it, little one. Don't leave this world yet- we need your help."

* * *

**Note:**

**Spring = Season of Bloom**

**Summer = Season of Flame**

**Fall = Season of Twilight**

**Winter = Season of Ice**


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Chiharo

It was a new day. Digivani had stayed down in the lab all night, listening to the sound of the girl's heartbeat and her breathing. He looked up at the child.

"I'll have to give you a name. But, what should it be?" A thought came to him, suddenly. "Chiharo."

Mysteriously, the girl's eyes opened. Digivani stared in amazement.

"Um… H-hello?" he said, nervously.

"Hello."

"My name's Digivani. And, you are?"

"Chiharo."

"Chiharo?"

"That is what you called me, isn't it?" the girl questioned.

"Y-yes, but-" Digivani stuttered.

"I am pleased to meet you, Digivani," she said, as her body uncurled from the ball it was in.

"A-as to you, Chiharo," the prince said, helping her out of the machine. Then, he looked at her curiously.

"Is there something wrong, Digivani?" Chiharo asked, worriedly.

"No, uh, it's nothing. Don't worry. I'm fine," he reassured her.

She smiled at him. "I'm glad you are fine."

Digivani brought Chiharo up to one of the bedrooms in the castle. "This was originally a guest room, but we can make it your room. If you like it, I mean."

"Oh, yes! It's beautiful!" Chiharo chimed, running around the room happily. Digivani smiled as he watched. He had been waiting to meet her for what seemed like an eternity.

Chiharo looked up at the prince, her half icy-blue half electric-yellow eyes shining. "Thank you, Digivani."

He looked at her. "It was my pleasure." The prince went over to the small child. "Would you like to see the rest of the castle?"

"That would be wonderful!"

So, for the rest of the day, Digivani showed the girl around the castle. "This place is so big!" Chiharo said, happily. The prince simply laughed, in return.

. . .

"Bless the Ancestors," the being with orange eyes said, with a sigh of relief.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Powers

"Digivani! Wake up. It's time for your magic training," Gelick said, nudging the prince's shoulder.

"W-wha…? Oh! Gelick- magic training," he said, sitting up.

The prince ran to Chiharo's room. "Wake up, Chiharo," he said, gently.

She opened her eyes. "Yes, Digivani?"

"I would like you to come to my classes with me."

"Okay," the girl agreed.

He lifted her up and they headed towards to courtyard for Digivani's training. "Why, exactly, do you want me to come to your training classes?" she questioned.

"Perhaps you could be taught, as well," he answered.

They made it to the courtyard. Chiharo looked around with sparkling eyes. "This place is so pretty," she said, in awe.

"I'm glad you think so," said a voice unfamiliar to Chiharo. She quickly looked to where the source of the voice came from. A boy with long, light brown hair and shining black eyes, who looked to be about seventeen came into her view.

"Yaninn, I would like you to meet Chiharo," Digivani introduced.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, miss," Yaninn greeted, kissing the girl's hand.

She blushed. "Oh, um, th-thank you," she stuttered.

Digivani looked down at Chiharo. "This is Yaninn, my magic instructor and the one who makes sure the courtyard is as wonderful as can be." He looked back up at Yaninn. "I would like Chiharo to study magic from now on."

"Alright. Let us see what she is able to do," came the magician's response.

Digivani put her down. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," Chiharo replied, nervously.

"It's okay, Chiharo. I'm not going to make you do anything hard," Yaninn said, calmly. "We are going to start with some basic spells." He began instructing her on how to use Fiurno, the Spell of Fire.

"Close your eyes and focus. Feel the heat flowing through your body. When you feel that the time is right, open your eyes and let the fire flow from within," Yaninn explained.

Chiharo did as instructed, her body motionless and relaxed. She felt the heat in her body, it was so warm. Her eyes opened, she stared straight ahead, and yelled, "Fiurno!" as fire rushed from her mouth.

Digivani and Yaninn simply stood there, stupefied to no end.

"What in the…," Digivani remarked. "That… that was wonderful"

. . .

The owner of the orange eyes smiled. "Good show, little one, good show."


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Spells and Books

After learning Fiurno, Chiharo learned three other spells. They were Electrime, the Spell of Electricity; Polarus, the Spell of Ice; and Bouldiera, the Spell of Earth. Again, and again, she amazed the prince and magician.

It was night time, now. Chiharo went to bed but simply could not sleep. She got back up and went to Digivani's room. The girl went over to him. "Digivani," Chiharo said, tugging on his arm. He didn't wake up, so she tried again. He still didn't wake up.

"Oh, forget it." Chiharo went out of the prince's room and walked up the stairs to the castle's library. Well, the stairs were pretty steep, so it was more like she crawled up them.

When Chiharo got to the library, she began looking at and reading random books, hoping to make herself tired. The girl found a book that caught her attention. It was the book of Draconicah, dragon language. As she flipped through the pages, Chiharo saw her name in it. Inscrolled on the page was Chiharo, The Winged Chi Being. Not too far below her name was Chihiro, The Winged Zen Being.

Chiharo smiled. _I wonder if there is a girl out there named Chihiro_, she thought, as she brought the book downstairs to her room. This wasn't exactly an easy task, though, because the book was almost as big as herself.

The girl sighed, she really had become very tired. Chiharo laid the book at the foot of her bed and went to the upper part of it. She was soon fast asleep.

. . .

The orange eyes were heave too. "Sleep well, little one," he said, as he, himself, went to sleep.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six: Exhaustion

Digivani woke up the next morning. He went to Chiharo's room to wake her up. As he walked into her room, he immediately noticed the book of Draconicah. It was open to the page with Chiharo's name on it.

With a smile, he went over to the girl. "Wake up, it's time to go eat," Digivani said, gently shaking her. The girl's eyes opened. "Good morning, Chiharo."

In the few days he had known her, Digivani had realized Chiharo was always hungry. But… there seemed to be something wrong with her today. For she barely touched the food that was placed in front of her. "Is something wrong?" Digivani asked, worriedly.

"I'm okay. I'm just not very hungry right now," the girl replied.

As they continued eating, Digivani watched Chiharo out of the corner of his eye, attempting to figure out what was wrong with her.

Gelick came into the dining room. "Digivani, it's time to go to class," he stated.

"Alight," came the prince's response.

As Chiharo and the prince walked out into the courtyard, Yaninn met up with them. He quickly noticed that the atmosphere Chiharo gave off was different somehow.

"Let's begin," Yaninn said. "We are going to study some new spells today." He looked down at Chiharo. "The first spell will be a bit more challenging. It's called Desimatiro Fyrrana."

The girl nodded in return.

Chiharo did as she had been taught. She closed her eyes and focused, relaxing her muscles and mind. When the time was right, she yelled, "Desimatiro Fyrrana!" but… nothing happened. The girl tried twice more, to no avail.

As Chiharo tried her fourth time, the world around her became a blur, as she became dizzy. Digivani and Yaninn noticed this too late. Chiharo collapsed, unconscious.

. . .

"No… Chiharo! Please, get up!" the owner of the orange eyes cried out. He knew she could not hear him, but he truly cared a great deal for the girl. All he was able to do was sit there hoping for the best, but wishing to be able to do so much more.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

There is Always Hope

Tears welled up in the orange eyes. "Chiharo…" He felt so helpless. Digivani had gently lifted Chiharo up in his arms. The prince looked as sad and helpless as himself.

"Berylsythe," a low, mighty voice said, coming from behind him.

The voice startled Berylsythe. He had not heard Thracklor, the Earth Guardian approach. The fire dragon quickly wiped his tears away.

"Is there something wrong?" Thracklor questioned, noticing the rather upset look on the Fire Guardian's face.

"No, it's nothing," the fire dragon answered, continuing to watch the Pool of Visions.

"I know there is something wrong with you, Berylsythe. I've lived with you long enough to know how you act when you're feeling a certain way," Thracklor persisted, peering into the pool. He also had the ability to see visions in it.

"Alright… I'll tell you," Berylsythe stated. "Seven years ago, the prince of New Mesopotamia-3 found the purple jewel of Nekotiri. When he picked up the jewel, it changed into an egg. A few days ago, the egg finally hatched. What emerged from the egg was a small female child. She has silver skin, a tail, and glowing hands, feet, and forehead. The prince began taking the girl to his training classes. I immediately noticed that she has very strong powers hidden within, but…"

"But, what?"

"Chiharo tried to use a powerful spell just now. She tried and tried. But, her body became exhausted quickly. And she… was rendered unconscious."

"Berylsythe…"

"I know, Thracklor. I'm being foolish, but I sense something in this girl. I just don't know what it is," that Fire Guardian tried to explain.

"No, you're not being foolish. I trust your instincts, Berylsythe. I trust _you_," Thracklor responded.

"Thank you, Thracklor. You have no idea how much that means to me right now," Berylsythe said, tears welling in his eyes again which began streaming down his face.

The earth dragon had no idea what to think- it was a rare sight to see the Fire Guardian show any emotion, let alone cry. "I'm so sorry," he said, trying to think of a way to cheer up his friend.

Sobbing, the fire dragon, weakly, said, "I don't know what to do, Thracklor. One of the few beings I care about in this world is in pain… I feel so helpless."

"Berylsythe, it's alright. We will find a way to help Chiharo. I promise this. And remember, there is always hope, _always_," the earth dragon said, looking deep into Berylsythe's bright orange eyes.

The Fire Guardian nodded, a small smile spanning his muzzle.

The continued to watch Digivani take care of Chiharo, back up in her room.

Out of nowhere, a bright glowing appeared behind the two dragons…

* * *

**Fun fact: I actually got the names Berylsythe, Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor from abilities Spyro learns in the first two TLoS games.**


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

I Met Someone

The next day, Chiharo still had not awoken. Digivani sat next to her on the edge of the bed, hoping she would wake up soon.

"Digivani, it's time to come eat breakfast," Gelick stated, walking into the room. "Is there any improvement, yet?"

"No, she's still exactly the same," the prince answered, defeat sounding in his voice. Just as he got up to leave, he heard something. Chiharo was talking in her sleep.

"Who are you? How do you know me? Where am I?" she asked.

Digivani went back over to Chiharo, but she had already finished speaking. "Please… wake up soon," he pleaded.

The prince soon came back up to Chiharo's room. She hadn't appeared to have moved at all. He sat on the edge of the bed again, and watched her for the remainder of the day.

Night came, and the girl still had not moved from the position she was in. Digivani became tired, so he lie down next to her.

The sun shone bright the next morning. Digivani got up early so he could watch Chiharo. It looked as though she had moved during the night. He stroked her cheek gently.

Yaninn came into the room. "I have come to check on Chiharo," he said.

"She's completely still, aside from her breathing," came the prince's reply.

"Are you sure she has done nothing?" the magician questioned.

"Well, Chiharo did start talking in her sleep yesterday," Digivani answered.

"About what?"

"She was asking questions," he said, wondering what Yaninn was getting at.

"Such as?"

"Such as, 'Who are you?', 'How do you know me?', and 'Where am I?'"

Yaninn looked down at Chiharo. "I thinks it's possible that her spirit has traveled to another place. Thus, she has gone to sleep," the magician pondered.

"Do you really think Chiharo is capable of doing something like that?" the prince asked, in wonder.

"Well, seeing as she is a being that was created from Nekotiri's jewel- yes, I do," the magician replied.

"Who's jewel?" Digivani questioned, bewildered.

"Never mind," Yaninn answered, with a sigh. He glanced back at Chiharo who began talking in her sleep again.

"That was a lot of fun! Do it again!" she said, happily.

Digivani walked over to her, and began shaking her softly. "Please, wake up, Chiharo."

"But, he doesn't want me to go yet," Chiharo said. Then she went silent for a few moments. Her eyes opened.

"Chiharo, you're okay!" the prince cheered.

"You really had us worried," Yaninn said, with a sigh of relief.

Chiharo looked at Digivani than at Yaninn. "I met someone," she stated.

"What?!" Digivani exclaimed.

"Who did you meet?" Yaninn questioned.

"He didn't tell me his name… But, he's a large reddish orange dragon," the girl answered.

"A dragon?" the magician asked, coming closer to her.

"Yeah. He was with another dragon too," Chiharo replied.

"What did he look like?" Yaninn said, sitting down next to her.

"He was an emerald green color," she said, remembering.

"Unbelievable…," the prince said. "Yaninn, you were right."

"Right about what?" Chiharo asked, confusedly.

"Your spirit is able to travel to other places," Digivani responded, looking down at her.

. . .

Berylsythe watched Chiharo through the Pool of Visions. "I hope I can see you again, little one."

* * *

**You want to see Chiharo and Berylsythe meet again? You'll have to at least read chapter Twenty-Four.**


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Goodbye

Chiharo woke up early the next morning. She wasn't sure why, but she had a horrible feeling in her gut. The small girl ran out to the balcony of the castle. There, she found Yaninn. He turned around at the sound of her footsteps. "I'm sorry, if I startled you," Chiharo apologized.

"It's alright. Don't' worry about it," he reassured her.

"You sense something too, don't you?" she asked him.

"Yes, and I have a very bad feeling about it," Yaninn replied, with obvious concern.

"I feel the same way," Chiharo said.

Yaninn looked down at her. "Why don't we go to the courtyard and try that spell one more time?" he asked.

The girl nodded in agreement.

They arrive there quickly. "Go ahead," the magician said.

Chiharo concentrated and relaxed her body. Heat filled up inside of her. She opened her eyes and yelled, "Desimatiro Fyrrana!" When she did so, he body gently floated into the air. Flames danced around the girl and fire balls flew down from above.

Yaninn stared in awe. "You did it, Chiharo! That was fantastic!" he cheered.

Chiharo landed softly and looked up at him, with an excited look in her eyes. "It felt so intense! When I said the spell, it felt like the power of one hundred suns was surging through me!"

"That was very impressive!" Digivani commented, walking towards them.

Just as he reached them, though, there was a loud banging coming from the front door of the castle. "What in the world?!" Yaninn exclaimed, not liking it at all.

The three of them hurried to the front of the palace, meeting up with Gelick on the way. "What do you think it could be?" Chiharo asked.

"I have no idea," Gelick replied.

The four of them reached the front door of the palace. Yaninn peaked his head around one of the windows, cautiously. He withdrew quickly. "Oh, no…"

"What? What is it?" Digivani asked.

"Drones," came his reply.

"Drones?" Chiharo questioned, tilting her head.

"Insectoid beings with a bad attitude," the magician answered.

"What are we going to do?" the girl asked.

"I will talk to them and see what they want," Yaninn stated. "You three hide somewhere until I give the signal."

"Okay," the prince agreed. Just as they hid, Yaninn opened one of the huge doors.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"We have come for the girl," one of the insect-like Drones hissed.

Digivani gasped. _Oh, no! They're after Chiharo!_ He turned toward the girl and knelt down.

"Where is she? Give her to us, now!" the Insectoid demanded.

"I have no idea who you are talking about," Yaninn said, calmly.

"Chiharo, I would like you to be my sister, and become the princess of New Mesopotamia-3," Digivani stated, to her.

"You know very well who we are speaking of!" the Drone yelled. "Now, give us the girl!"

"There is no girl here. You must have received to wrong information," the magician insisted.

Gelick watched as Digivani pulled a crown out of his pocket and placed it, gently, on Chiharo's head.

"Stop trying to fool us! We sense her presence! Give us the girl!" the Drone all but exploded.

"Why don't you try a different palace? There is no girl here," Yaninn replied, as calm as ever.

"Chiharo, you need to get out of here," Digivani said, giving her the book of Draconicah.

"Digivani, why? What's going on?" Chiharo asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"The Drones have come for you." He gave her a hug. "I love you… and goodbye."

"Now!" called Yaninn.

"Maybe we'll see each other again, someday," the prince said, drawing his sword.

Gelick and the prince ran out to help Yaninn fight off the Drones. Meanwhile, Chiharo snuck out one of the castle's windows, tears streaming down her face. Once out the window, she ran towards Cyclone Twist, the Air Territory.

Digivani, Yaninn, and Gelick didn't get much accomplished. They were frozen with liquid nitrogen before anything could be done. The Drones searched the castle for Chiharo, breaking and burning everything they could…

. . .

Berylsythe didn't' know what to think. It seemed as though Chiharo's life had turned to hell in only an hour. "Chiharo…"


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Guss-Guss

Chiharo looked to her left then her right. She had been wandering through Cyclone Twist's for a while now, and was pretty sure she was lost.

"Ugh! This is hopeless!" she exclaimed, ready to give up. Before she could go any further, however, she heard a noise coming from up ahead. She froze and held her book tightly.

A beast quite a bit larger than the girl sprung out of the bushes. "Get down!" a male's voice yelled from her left. She did as she was told. Just as the creature was about to strike Chiharo, a large cat- with light brown, black, and red orange fur and blue eyes- leapt and knocked the beast away from her.

The cat seemed to be putting up a pretty good fight, but it didn't look like he was going to be able to win. So, Chiharo set her book down and concentrated. She aimed and yelled, "Electrime!" Her attack made contact and stunned the large beast.

The cat turned towards her in amazement. Chiharo bowed to him saying, "Thank you for saving me." Then she picked up her book and began walking away.

"Hold on!" the feline called, chasing after her.

The girl stopped. "What is it?" she asked.

"I've been watching you for some time, now," he responded. "I was wondering if you would mind me traveling with you."

Chiharo smiled a little replying, "I would like that."

"My name is Guss-Guss. What's yours?" the cat questioned.

"I am Chiharo," she answered.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Chiharo," Guss-Guss stated.

"It's nice to meet you too," the girl said, with a grin spanning her face.

. . .

Berylsythe gave a sigh of relief. He was truly happy that Chiharo had someone to talk to now, and that she wasn't alone anymore. "Thank you, Guss-Guss."


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: Tears

Guss-Guss and Chiharo had been walking for a while, through the forest. They were, at the time, having an interesting conversation about toast.

"… I prefer to have mine be potato bread toast with regular butter and jelly," Chiharo said.

"Really? My favorite is wheat bread with just regular butter," Guss-Guss replied.

Not paying attention, Chiharo managed to trip over the root of a tree. "Yaaah!" she yelled, dropping her book and landing on the ground with a thud.

"Careful!" the feline said, helping her back up.

"Sorry about that," came her response, as she picked up her book.

"No need to apologize," he replied, looking down at her. "Would you like to ride on my back, instead of walking?"

"Uh, sure," the girl said, trying to climb up. However, she couldn't get a good grip, so the cat helped.

"Hang on, so you don't fall," Guss-Guss warned.

"Okay," Chiharo responded.

A few moments later…

The feline walked out into a clearing in the forest. "This will be a good place to rest," he decided.

Chiharo slid off of his back, with her book. Glancing around she said, "It looks fine to me." She looked up at the cat. "Let me go get some firewood."

"Go ahead," he returned.

So, she laid her book down beside Guss-Guss and ran to get some wood. Meanwhile, the cat made a little fire pit. Chiharo returned quickly, with a lot of wood. She set it up like a teepee in the pit and lit it on fire using Fiurno.

Guss-Guss lie down beside the fire and Chiharo sat next to him. "Hey, Chiharo," he said.

"Huh?" came her reply.

"I have been studying how you move and act, and was wondering where you got that book and crown. Where, exactly, are you from?" the feline questioned.

"I'm from…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm from the castle in Rhone," she answered, beginning to bawl.

This startled the cat a little. I mean, he wasn't trying to upset Chiharo. "Ssshh. It's okay, Chiharo. You're going to be alright," he consoled the girl, curling his body around her.

"The only three people I ever knew are gone…," she choked out through her tears. "Why did it happen? They didn't do anything wrong!"

Guss-Guss nuzzled Chiharo saying, "It's going to be fine. Why don't you try and get some sleep?"

She wiped her eyes and lie down. "Goodnight, Guss-Guss," she said, with a little sob.

"Sweet dreams, Chiharo," he echoed her.

. . .

"Don't let the bedbugs bite, little ones," Berylsythe finished, making himself comfortable as well.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve: Fun

Chiharo woke up early the next morning. She nudged Guss-Guss. "What is it?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"I'm hungry," the girl replied.

"Why don't we go to a village then?" the feline suggested.

"You lead the way," Chiharo said. "All these trees, ponds, and vines look alike to me."

"Climb on," Guss-Guss told her.

So, she nodded and did as she was told.

"It should be right through here," the cat said, as he walked.

"Do you think anyone will make fun of me?" the girl asked, worriedly.

"No, believe me when I say: a lot of strange things live here on NM-3," the feline laughed. As they walked through some trees, Chiharo saw that Guss-Guss was right about a village being close to where they were. Seeing as she heard music and people talking.

Upon entering the village, Chiharo noticed a lot of people dressed as animals. She smelled all kinds of wonderful food as well.

"Hey, Guss-Guss!" a man who was barbecuing called. "How've you been?"

"Pretty good, Roran. How about you?" the feline replied, with a smile.

"It's been great. Tell ya what, this one's on the house," Roran proclaimed.

"Thank you!" Guss-Guss replied, gratefully. He looked back at Chiharo saying, "Why don't you go play until the food is done?"

"Play?" she asked, with a rather confused look on her face.

The cat pointed over to their left. "Go over there and talk to those kids," he said.

"Oh, okay!" the girl returned, slipping off of his back and heading to where he showed her.

"Who was that?" Roran questioned.

"That's Chiharo," came the feline's answer.

"Is she yours," the man asked, with a smile.

"No, she's just a friend," Guss-Guss stated.

"Well, she's pretty cute. Where'd you find her?" Roran pressed.

"Walking through the forest near Rhone," the cat replied.

Chiharo walked up to the small group of kids happily saying, "Hi! I'm Chiharo!"

A small girl about Chiharo's size, with medium length turquois hair, blue and yellow eyes, and wore feathers in her hair and on her dress, stepped out of the group. "I'm Talhea Valenar," she greeted, with a cute smile.

"I love your outfit," Chiharo said, gazing at the pretty white feathers.

"They're Kygal feathers," Talhea explained. "My mom found a whole bunch one day, and did this for me."

"What's a Kygal?" Chiharo asked, tilting her head.

"Kygals are creatures that are part cat and part bird," the turquois-haired girl replied. "Kind of like griffins, only different. Because, instead of having, like, a bird head, they have cat-like heads with feathers on top."

"They sound pretty," Chiharo decided, with an angelic smile.

"Chiharo, food's ready!" Guss-Guss called.

"Coming!" the girl called back. She turned towards Talhea and reached her hand out saying, "Come and eat with us."

"Um, okay," she responded.

The two small girls headed over to where Guss-Guss and Roran were. "Who's your friend?" the feline questioned.

"This is Talhea," Chiharo answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Guss-Guss said, sweetly.

"As to you," Talhea replied, curtsying.

Roran looked at Talhea, then Chiharo, the back at Talhea. "Call me crazy," he said, "but you two have the same face."

The girls glanced at each other and then at Guss-Guss. "He's right," the large cat agreed.

As the four of them ate, they talked about any random thing that came to mind. Talhea turned to Chiharo. "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" she asked.

Chiharo glanced over at Guss-Guss. "No, we don't…"

"In that case, why don't you come and stay with me and my mom?" Talhea suggested.

"That would be wonderful," Guss-Guss responded.

. . .

Berylsythe studied Chiharo's and Talhea's faces. "There is no denying it… they have the same face. Strange."


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen: Cozy

Talhea lead Chiharo and Guss-Guss to her house. When they reached it, she proclaimed, "Well, this is it."

"It looks so nice," Chiharo commented, with a smile.

"Indeed," Guss-Guss agreed.

As they stepped inside, Chiharo said, "I've never been inside a house before."

"Really?" a woman- Chiharo guessed she was Talhea's mother- asked, walking up to them. "Where are you from, then?"

"I hatched in the castle of Rhone," the girl replied.

"What are you doing here, then?" the woman questioned, curiously.

"Drones came… so Digivani, Yaninn, and Gelick stalled them to make sure I had time to get away," Chiharo answered.

"That is strange, indeed," she decided.

"How so?" the little brunet asked.

"The Drones don't normally just randomly attack places. They usually have a reason," she explained.

"They were after me."

"Oh… Well, please, make yourselves at home," she smiled. "Call me Reianne."

"Thank you," Guss-Guss said, gratefully.

"Come on," Talhea said, motioning towards the stairs. "I'll show you to your rooms."

"Okay!" Chiharo responded, happily.

The three of them walked up the stairs while Talhea explained, "Chiharo, you will be staying with me in my room. And, Guss-Guss, you can use the spare room."

"This place is so comfy and cozy," the awed Chiharo complemented.

"We try to keep it as comfortable as possible," Reianne said, coming up the stairs.

"You do a wonderful job," Guss-Guss replied. "You really have a great sense of decorating."

"Heh heh," Reianne giggled. "Well, supper will be ready in a couple of hours."

"Yay!" Chiharo cheered, jumping up and down happily.

"In the meantime, though, why don't you draw some pictures?" Rei suggested.

"What's drawing?" the girl asked, tilting her head.

"I'll show you," Talhea answered. "Come on."

The small feathered girl guided Chiharo and Guss-Guss into her room. "You take a piece of paper and a pencil. Then you make shapes on the paper to draw a picture," she explained.

Chiharo smiled. "Okay!"

"Well, you two have fun. I'm going to go help with dinner," Guss-Guss stated, turning to exit the room.

"Alright!" the girls replied, in unison.

After a few moments, Chiharo held up her picture saying, "What do you think?"

Talhea looked up. "Wow, you're really good, Chiharo!" she exclaimed. "That's Guss-Guss, right?"

"Yup!" came the girl's reply.

"Let's go show my mom," Talhea said, getting up.

"Okay," Chiharo agreed, with a nod.

So, the two girls ran downstairs to the kitchen. "Hey, Mommy!" Talhea called. "Look at the picture Chiharo drew."

Reianne looked at the paper. "This is very good," she said, in awe. "Where did you learn to do this, Chiharo?"

"Um… I didn't? I just sort of did it." The girl looked up at Rei. "I pictured Guss-Guss in my mind. Then I started drawing what I saw. And this is what happened," she explained.

"Hey, it really does look like me," Guss-Guss said, peering at the picture. "I like it, Chiharo- it's so detailed."

"Thank you!" Chiharo beamed.

"Well, supper is just about done," Reianne stated. "I hope you're hungry."

"I'm always hungry," Chiharo replied. "Though, I'm not really sure why."

"That's alright- Talhea's always hungry too, it seems," Rei reassured her.

Chiharo looked over at the feathered girl and smiled.

. . .

Berylsythe felt quite curious. _Why __**is**__ Chiharo always so hungry?_ he wondered. Why? Because, normally only beings that fly eat so much. That's why.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen: Yet Again

The silver, pigtailed girl stared at all of the food placed in front of her. This was nearly as much as she would eat at the castle in Rhone. The look of it made her stomach grumbled. Chiharo decided she would enjoy every last bite of the meal Rei had prepared for them.

"Dig in," Reianne said, from her right. "I made this especially for you two tonight. I hope you like it."

"I will!" Chiharo chimed, happily. She immediately started chewing on a large chicken leg. "This is my favorite! I love chicken!"

Guss-Guss smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Reianne."

"No need to thank me. You are our guests, so we will treat you the best we can," Rei replied.

"You really know how to," the feline said, spooning some tomato soup into his mouth.

"She tries!" Talhea responded.

"After this, would you like some apple pie?" Reianne questioned.

"Absolutely!" Chiharo answered, full-heartedly.

Guss-Guss glanced up and said, "Indeed. That would be wonderful."

After a moment, Reianne stood up and walked away. When she returned, she was carrying the most delicious pie Chiharo had ever seen.

"Wow!" the small girl exclaimed, eyes twinkling.

Reianne dished a piece out to everyone. "Enjoy!" she said, with a smile. After watching Chiharo eat for a while, the woman stated, "My, my! You really do eat a lot, for something so small, Chiharo!"

The little girl giggled and beamed at Reianne, as she continued enjoying her pie.

Out of nowhere, Chiharo stopped what she was doing completely, due to a strange feeling forming in her stomach. She knew she had felt it before, but what did it mean? The girl began trembling.

"Chiharo? Chiharo, what's the matter?!" Guss-Guss asked, frantically. "Are you alright?"

"I-I… I think… something is… going to happen…," she said, quietly.

"Oh, dear. Perhaps you should go to bed," Reianne suggested, not knowing what she should do.

Just as suddenly as the feeling had come, though, it disappeared. Chiharo stopped shaking and said, "I think that would be a good idea." And, with that, she slipped out of her chair and went upstairs. Guss-Guss stood up and followed her, to make sure she was alright.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" the cat asked, worriedly.

"I think so," the girl answered. "I'm going to bed now."

"Goodnight, Chiharo," he said, giving her a hug.

"Sweet dreams, Guss-Guss. I'll see you in the morning," came her reply, as she slipped under the covers.

A few hours later…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Chiharo bolted up in bed. The noise continued: Thud! Thud!

_What could that be?_ The little girl thought. Then it came to her. "Drones…," she gasped, trying to stay calm.

By this time, everyone else in the house was awake, as well.

"What's going on?" Talhea asked, sleepily.

"Guss-Guss i-is it-," Chiharo started, terrified.

The large feline cut her off saying, "That is the only answer I can think of."

An ear-splitting bang could be heard from downstairs. The insect-like Drones piled into the house.

Reianne met up with them in the hallway, and the four snuck down the stairs as quietly as they could manage. When they reached the bottom, utter chaos met their eyes.

Chiharo became teary-eyed. _Why is this happening yet again? Why?!_

"They must be after you, again," Talhea said, cutting into the girl's thoughts. And, suddenly, the clear-jeweled necklace around the feathered girl's neck began to glow a brilliant green. Talhea wasn't sure what exactly it was doing, but she felt sure it was going to help.

Feathers began forming on the girl's upper and lower back. As the glowing from the necklace subsided, it could be seen: Talhea had grown a bird's wings and tail!

The girl peered behind herself, satisfied. Chiharo looked her in the eyes, feeling strange. Talhea turned away and ran down into the living room.

"Get out of my house, you monsters!" she cried, taking flight and kicking a Drone square in the face.

The Drone collapsed and groaned. But, Talhea's triumph lasted only a short moment- another Insectoid grabbed the winged girl by the leg and flung her to the floor.

Talhea looked up to see Chiharo's frightened face. "Run, Chiharo! Get out of here!" she called, to her friend.

"But,_ Talhea_-" Chiharo tried to say.

"I'll be fine! Now go!" she demanded.

Guss-Guss grabbed Chiharo and leapt out the window, the little girl crying, "Nooo!** Talhea**!" tears streaming down her face.

The Drones left the house, only after freezing Reianne and Talhea with their liquid nitrogen staffs.

. . .

Berylsythe sent a staff soaring across the Chamber of the Pool of Visions, yelling, "No! Not again!"

Thracklor walked up behind his fiery friend, asking, "Berylsythe, what happened? What's the matter?!"

The fire dragon turned to face the Earth Guardian. "I'm going out. While I'm gone, you take charge."

"Wait, what?" the earth dragon questioned, shaking his head. "Where are you going?"

"I am going to find Chiharo. I'll be back as soon as I can," he stated, turning and running out of the chamber towards the garden.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen:

Leaving the Island

"I'm so sorry, Chiharo," Guss-Guss apologized, setting the girl down

Chiharo bawled even harder. "Talhea! Bring Talhea back!" she demanded.

The large cat had no idea what to do. He sighed. _We have to leave this island,_ he thought. _But how could I tell Chiharo?_ He looked over at the girl. "Chiharo…"

"What?" she choked out, through her tears.

"We can't stay here on Mesopotamia," the feline stated, quickly.

The little girl blinked a few tears away. "W-why not?"

Guss-Guss looked her straight in her half icy-blue and half electric-yellow eyes. "The Drones will not stop searching this island until they capture you… if not worse."

She understood- she didn't like it, but she understood. "Alright," Chiharo replied, quietly, as she wiped the rest of her tears away.

"Come one, then. If we walk a little further west, we will find the ocean," Guss-Guss said.

Chiharo sniffled a little, as she climbed onto the feline's back.

"I know a land that is a bit northwest from here," the cat said, as he walked.

"What's it called?" Chiharo questioned.

"It's called Fenn-eken-tiff, but is also known as 'The Land of Fire and Light'," he answered.

"Sounds nice," the girl decided.

"From what I've heard, it's a wonderful place."

A half an hour later…

"This, Chiharo, would be the ocean," Guss-Guss proclaimed, proudly.

"Wow! I-it's so big! And blue!" the little girl exclaimed. She silently wondered how large it really was.

The large, light brown feline ran over to the water and splashed some on Chiharo. "Waah! Guss-Guss, you'll get my book wet!" she called.

"It's in the backpack Reianne gave you- no, it won't," came the cat's response.

"Are you sure?" Chiharo questioned.

"Absolutely. Now, come here- the water's nice and warm," he answered.

"Okay!" the she said, happily.

Guss-Guss turned toward Chiharo. "The temperature will be perfect for traveling. It feels great."

"I agree," the girl said, with a smile. "But, how _are _we traveling?"

"We're swimming, of course," the feline said, matter of factly.

"I've never swam before," she replied, hesitantly.

"Why don't you ride on my back, then?" he suggested. "You're light enough. I won't sink."

"Okay," she agreed, climbing up onto her furry friend.

"Hold on tight and be careful," Guss-Guss warned her.

Chiharo nodded in return.

The feline walked into the water. And, in a few moments, was in fully, except for his head and some of his back.

After a while, though, Chiharo began getting tired. So tired that she accidently slid off Guss-Guss' back.

_Splash!_

"Ch-Chiharo?!" the large cat called, looking around frantically. "Chiharo!"

The silver girl popped her head out of the water, suddenly. "Guess what, Guss-Guss!" she said, happily.

"Huh?!"

"I can breathe underwater!" she exclaimed, ecstatically.

"What?! Y-you can?" the cat questioned, in awe. _What next?_ He thought. _Never mind- I think I can wait. I don't need to know just yet._ "You are one special kid, Chiharo," he stated.

"Heh heh!" she responded, with a giggle.

"Well, let's get a move on. If we hurry, we will be able to make it to Fenn-eken-tiff before sunrise," Guss-Guss said.

"Okay!" Chiharo agreed.

. . .

"I wonder what Chiharo is doing right now," Berylsythe said, to himself. "I hope she's alright."

The extremely large fire dragon landed on the edge of a mountain. He found a caver inside and decided to take a break.

"Well, she's with Guss-Guss, so I cannot imagine anything too horrible happening…"


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen:

Fenn-eken-tiff

"We're almost there, Chiharo," Guss-Guss stated, with a smile.

The little girl went to look back at Mesopotamia and was a bit stupefied at what she saw. Or, rather, what she _didn't_ see. "Guss-Guss, I cannot see Mesopotamia anymore. We haven't gone that far, have we?"

"Oh! You don't know, do you?" the feline asked, turning his head towards his friend.

"Know what?" the girl questioned, confusedly.

"The island of New Mesopotamia-3 is cloaked in a force field. So is the country attached to its right," he explained.

The silver girl tilted her head in an 'I have no idea what you're talking about' manner.

"The other island is known as Crescent Moon. It's a place full of darkness." He looked back toward Chiharo. "But, between Mesopotamia and crescent Moon, their people have become more powerful and advanced than anywhere else in the world."

"Wow! That's pretty amazing," Chiharo returned, in awe.

"Let's keep going. Fenn-eken-tiff is just ahead."

The two continued swimming. And, just as the feline had said, they reached The Land of Fire and Light in no time.

"Fenn-eken-tiff is a warm and very bright country. Most things there have the colors orange, yellow-orange, goldenrod, red, red-orange, or scarlet," Guss-Guss explained, as he shook the water out of his fur. "In the middle of the island is the great palace. That is where the king, his many wives, and kids live."

"_Many_ wives?!" Chiharo exclaimed. "How many does he have?"

"From what I've heard, he has fifty or more," the cat replied, with a shrug.

The girl threw her arms in the air. "Say what?!"

"Though, there seems to have been some trouble, recently," Guss-Guss pondered. "They say that the true king has gone missing."

"What do you think happened?" Chiharo asked, calming down a bit.

"I have no idea- beats the heck out of me," the feline replied, closing his eyes and putting his head down a bit.

"Well, what do you say we go check it out? We may even find somewhere to stay, along the way," Chiharo suggested.

"I think that would be a fine idea," the cat agreed.

"How far is it, to the palace?" Chiharo asked, looking ahead.

"Um, why don't we wait until morning? You need to rest, Chiharo," Guss-Guss said.

"All right. Yeah, I guess I should," the girl responded, reluctantly. "Where are we going to sleep?"

"I think we will be fine out here. The sand is warm and comfortable," Guss-Guss answered, making himself comfortable.

Chiharo walked over to him and lie down. "Goodnight," she said.

"Sweet dreams," the cat returned.

. . .

Berylsythe lie down to sleep, as well. "How long will it take me to find Chiharo?" He rested his head in his arms. "I don't even know if she's in Mesopotamia, anymore…" The red-orange dragon closed his eyes. "I hope I find her soon."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen:

Dancing Flames, Heavenly Light

_Fire._

_Flames._

_Flames dancing all over._

_A girl._

_A little girl among the flames. Chocolate brown hair, green eyes… and a red-orange jewel in a silver casing, around her neck._

_Bright._

_Light._

_Light so heavenly, coming from above._

_A boy._

_A young boy in the midst of the light. Also has chocolate brown hair. Eyes, a bright blue. A light yellow jewel in a silver casing around his neck and a pale blue a silver key, hanging at his side._

"Aaaah!" Chiharo yelled, bolting up. Beads of sweat were on her forehead and she was breathing heavily.

"Chiharo?" Guss-Guss asked, having been woken up from the girl's scream.

"I saw fire and light. There was a little girl my age and a boy a bit older," the pigtailed girl whispered, between heavy breaths.

The large feline had no idea what he should do or say. He nuzzled her saying, "It will be alright. Why don't you lay back down and try to get some more sleep?"

Chiharo nodded. _What did that dream mean?_ she thought. _There has to be a reason behind it. Why did it feel so real? It may have something to do with the island's nickname… but, I would not know._

. . .

Berylsythe lie awake inside the cave. _Why would I have a dream like that? _he asked himself. "Fire and light, huh?"


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen:

Flowing With Wind

"Guss-Guss, what do you think it's like to fly?" Chiharo questioned, eating the fruit they picked that morning.

"Um…," the cat pondered her question. "I have no idea. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that birds, dragons, and all of the other creatures that fly must be really lucky," she replied.

"Well, I suppose they are pretty lucky," he agreed.

After the pigtailed girl was finished eating, she stood up and said, "Hey, Guss-Guss."

"Hmm?" the feline responded, turning his gaze toward his little friend.

"How fast can you run?"

"Uh, I guess I can run pretty fast. Why?"

Chiharo had a devious expression on her face. "Well," she said, "let's see if you can catch me, then!"

Guss-Guss went to grab the girl, but she spun around and bolted to her right. So, he chased after her.

Chiharo looked in front of her and saw a tree. She glanced back. The large cat was gaining on her quickly.

And, what did the little girl do next? She decided to climb up the tree, of course. She climbed as fast and high as she was able to.

"Chiharo, get down from there!" Guss-Guss called up to her.

The girl peered down, not realizing how high up she really was.

As all of this was going on, a hooded being spied on the girl's and cat's actions from behind a nearby bush.

"Aaaiiiee!" Chiharo cried. Because, it just so turned out, she was afraid of heights. The silver girl toppled forward. Then, out of nowhere, the mark on her chest began to glow.

Guss-Guss watched from below, not understanding anything that was happening. All he was able to do was yell, "Chiharo!"

Purple energy swirled around Chiharo. Feathers erupted from her back. And, in an instant, she became lighter than air!

The being who watched from the darkness' eyes went wide. _Is it possible?!_

Guss-Guss stared, in awe, up at Chiharo. Black wings with yellow end feathers had sprouted from her back. _Alright. This is getting a bit too weird. What the heck is with Chiharo gaining all of these strange abilities?_

Chiharo slowly floated back down to the ground. "Oh, Guss-Guss, that was so scary!" she sobbed, giving the feline a hug.

"Chiharo… you have wings. What's going on?" her furry friend asked, sounding just a slight bit petrified.

"I don't know. It's just, when I started falling, I thought of a bird. And, then there was wings on my back," she explained.

"Well, let me just say, I am more-than-convinced that you are special, Chiharo," the large cat stated, with a sigh.

. . .

Berylsythe stood at the edge of a cliff, surveying the village below. "I highly doubt Guss-Guss would let Chiharo stay in Mesopotamia. So, the trick is trying to find out where the feline would go."

The fire dragon readied himself to fly. "Well, this should be fu-"

He was cut off abruptly due to an agonizing throbbing in his head.

Berylsythe saw the image of his little silver friend falling from a great height. His head throbbed harder, as his mind's eye saw wings form on her back.

The same thing had happened when Chiharo had learned to breathe underwater.

This was pretty much exactly the same as someone he once knew… Nekotiri.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen:

Garden of the Castle

"Guss-Guss, this is so much fun!" Chiharo called to her friend, from above.

The large cat looked up. "Chiharo, get down here, before someone sees you!" he called back.

The little girl slowly, but surely, made her way back down. Even though she had only had her wings for a short while, Chiharo was already pretty comfortable with flying.

"Come on, we still have quite a bit further to walk before we reach the castle," Guss-Guss told her, as she landed.

Chiharo retracted her wings. "How long will it take?"

"We will not get there until about sundown," the feline replied.

"But that's so much walking, and I'm hungry again," the girl complained.

"Chiharo, I don't have any zenie. Now, come on. On our way, I'll see if I can find any free food," he told her.

No answer.

"Okay?"

"Fine," she replied, stubbornly.

Chiharo tended to get a bit cranky, if she went without food for too long.

Noticing the rather sad look on his friend's face, Guss-Guss said, "Hey, it'll be alright, Chiharo. Just hang in there."

Just after sundown…

"We're here," Guss-Guss proclaimed.

Chiharo looked up. The castle really was remarkable, but she didn't have any energy to really get excited. In Fenn-eken-tiff, not many things were free, unlike Mesopotamia. So, she hadn't had anything to eat. Poor thing.

The large feline noticed his little friend's lack of excitement. He glanced down at Chiharo. She seemed as though she was about to keel over.

Chiharo was definitely a little trooper, but even she had to rest and recuperate sometimes.

Guss-Guss nudged her. "Come on. Let's go over there into one of the castle's outer gardens."

Chiharo nodded.

Once inside, the garden- a large grassy area with trees, large plants, and a small pond- the large cat found a nice place to rest. Chiharo practically collapsed. They were both soon fast asleep.

. . .

Berylsythe felt extremely fatigued. He wasn't sure why, but he did have a hunch: the fire dragon was feeling the same thing Chiharo was.

The Fire Guardian silently hoped that whatever was happening, his little friend was going to be alright.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty: Lady Lisa

A faint rustling of sound…

Footsteps…

Guss-Guss' eyes snapped open. He glanced around. It was nearly morning- who the heck would be up this early?

The cat nudged Chiharo. She blinked sleepily. The girl listened, as he put a finger to his lips.

Out of nowhere, a beautiful woman with long chocolate brown hair, sparkling blue eyes, and wearing a long pink and white dress, walked into the middle of the garden.

The woman- Chiharo guessed she was a queen due to the crown that dangled on her forehead- looked around. Her gaze fell on the small child and the cat. And, rather than running away and telling a guard like Guss-Guss expected her to, she walked right over to the two of them.

"I am Lady Lisa," she introduced, curtsying. "What are your names?"

"My name is Guss-Guss and this is Chiharo, Milady," the feline answered.

"Oh, you poor thing," Lady Lisa sorrowfully said, crouching down and looking at Chiharo. "You look as though you're starving."

The little girl peered into the queen's pretty, icy blue eyes and quietly responded, "I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday morning."

"I must get you some food in the castle, then," she decided.

"Um. I don't mean to be rude, Milady, but what are you doing out here?" Guss-Guss asked.

"Those jerks don't like us leaving the palace, but I needed some fresh air and didn't want to sit at my balcony," she replied. Turning her gaze back to Chiharo, she said, "Come, now. Let's get you inside. Before that, though, I must give you this."

The queen reached into her waist pouch and pulled something out. She put the item around the girl's neck. It was a collar.

"I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable, but you'll need to wear it inside the castle. The symbol means I'm looking after you," Lisa explained.

Chiharo simply smiled. "Okay!"

The queen put her hands around the girl's waist and lifted her into the air. Chiharo laughed happily.

Purple energy began swirling around Chiharo. As the swirls of purple faded, she no longer looked the way she had before. She had short chocolate brown hair tied up in two pompom hair ties. She now had pale white skin and freckles on her face. The girl wore a little white dress, silver boots, her backpack, and the crown she had received from Digivani. Not only that, Chiharo had a purple jewel in a silver casing dangling from around her neck.

"My word!" an awed Lady Lisa said.

_That's one way to put it_, Guss-Guss thought, not having any idea what he should say.

. . .

_Throb._

_Throb._

Berylsythe thought for sure he was going to pass out from the pain. In his mind, he watched a glow envelope Chiharo and saw her change into, what looked like, a humanoid.

The Fire Guardian was far beyond convinced what his little friend was. "There is no other solution," he said to himself. "Chiharo is one of the new Guardians of the Dragons."


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One:

Princess of Fire, Prince of Light

While they ate, Lady Lisa listened intently as Chiharo recounted everything that had happened to her since she hatched.

"…And so, here I am," the girl finished.

"Wow… that's so **amazing**, Chiharo. I've been through much excitement in my life, but in just that many days?! Amazing!" the queen proclaimed. "And, on top of all that," she continued, "you can breathe underwater, fly, and your spirit can travel to other places!"

Chiharo giggled.

"After you're finished eating, I have some people I would like you to meet," Lisa said.

"Okay!" the girl replied, happy as ever.

A few moments later…

"Chiharo, I would like you to meet my son, Sai, and my daughter, Kimmy," Lisa introduced.

The pigtailed girl froze- these were the same two kids she saw in her dream!

"It may not seem like it, but these two can do some impressive things like you," Lisa explained, motioning towards her children. "Both of them were born with a mark on their bodies that allow some pretty strange things to happen. Sai has a mark on his back that looks like the wings of a bat, so he is able to grow bat wings and ears and has a sonic scream like a bat. On the other hand, Kimmy has a mark on her stomach shaped like the head of a rabbit. Hence, she is able to grow bunny ears, a fluffy tail, some fur on her hands, and she can jump to extreme heights."

Chiharo stared, a bit shocked, for a moment. But then she smiled. _I'm glad that I'm not the only one with weird powers._

"Oh, yeah!" Lisa exclaimed, suddenly. "The two of them also seem to have ties with certain elements. When Kimmy becomes excited or angry, she tends to make candle flames burn brighter and hotter. And Sai tends to make the sun shine brighter, it seems, when he feels deep emotion."

Chiharo looked up at the queen. "A princess of fire and a prince of light," she said.

Lady Lisa pondered this. "Hmm… Yep, that sounds about right!"

. . .

Berylsythe landed to look at another small village. "I doubt the two came this far," he said, quietly.

Not only was the fire dragon thinking of where Chiharo and Guss-Guss may have gone, something was troubling him greatly.

Berylsythe had always had the ability to read others' minds. But, that didn't explain the visions he saw of Chiharo, the throbbing headaches that came over him, or the fact that he could feel what she was going through.

"I don't understand any of this. But Chiharo needs help. Those Drones will not stop following her until they get what they want. I must be there to protect her," the Fire Guardian decided.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two:

A Prayer for Peace

Chiharo was enjoying playing videogames with Sai and Kimmy.

"Hey! No Fair! How do you keep winning?" Sai complained.

"Uh, I don't know. You told me how to play and I did what you said to do," the girl replied, with a shrug.

Sai grumbled, annoyed and Kimmy just giggled.

Guss-Guss had been watching from behind. "You have a very interesting battle strategy, Chiharo," he said. "How did you come up with such an impeccable winning style?"

"Good question," she responded. "Unfortunately, I don't have a very great answer, because I have no idea."

_A good question, indeed_, the being who watched from the shadows thought. _This girl may be the one I seek. She bears a different mark on her forehead, but she does have the mark of the kygal on her chest. Not to mention, she's wearing the purple jewel._

Chiharo had the most fun and relaxing day of her life. It was dark now, and she was sleeping soundly… Well, that is, until she was awoken abruptly by the Drones who surrounded her bed.

"Why are you here? What do you want from me?!" the little girl cried out.

"The Lord, Malefor, wishes to have the one wearing the purple jewel," a green Drone hissed, stepping forward.

"Get away from her!" Guss-Guss yelled, from somewhere behind the Drones. The large cat leapt over their heads and onto Chiharo's bed. He lifted the girl up and held her close. "Why can't you just leave her alone and make peace? WHY?!" he demanded.

The insect-like Drones did not seem to have much of an answer for that.

The feline leapt back over their heads. Lady Lisa ran over to them. She crouched down and whispered something to Chiharo. "Before you go, I must tell you, the king isn't really missing. He's Rusty, he-"

The queen was unable to finish her sentence. With one touch from a liquid nitrogen staff, she was frozen solid. The same thing had happened to Kimmy and Sai.

At that moment, the being who hid in the shadows chose to spring forward. The being lifted up Chiharo, grabbed Guss-Guss' paw, and jumped off the balcony.

. . .

Berylsythe woke up, holding his head and keeping back the urge to scream. In his mind's eye, the dragon watched everything that befell his little friend.

_No. No! NO!_ his mind raged. Then he reared his head back and yelled, "CHIHARO!" at the top of his lungs.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three:

The Lost Guardian

The hooded being sat on the ground, holding Chiharo as she cried.

"Why does this keep happening?" the girl sobbed. "None of my friends ever did anything wrong…"

"I'm sorry," the hooded being said, in a female's voice.

Guss-Guss walked up beside the woman asking, "Who are you?"

She took her hood down to reveal a beautiful tanned face. Long purple hair flowed from her head. And… she had the same icy-blue, electric-yellow eyes as Chiharo. "I am Nekotiri," came her response.

The look of alarm spread across the feline's features. "B-but you… You were…"

"Later," Nekotiri said. "Right now, we need to get off this island."

Chiharo peered up at the purple-haired woman. "Where will we go?" she all but pleaded.

"Just a small island, nothing special. We should be able to reach it by sunrise," the woman replied.

And so, they set off towards the ocean.

"The land we will travel to is called 'Hinu'. It's just a bit to the east of here," Nekotiri explained. It had been about an hour since the three of them left the castle.

"I have heard of it," Guss-Guss stated. "The island is well-known for its ability to train great warriors."

"Sounds like an interesting place," Chiharo piped up.

"That's what I heard," he furry friend responded.

A couple hours later…

"The ocean is just ahead," Nekotiri said. She looked down at Chiharo. "Do you want to swim or fly?"

"I guess I'll swim," the girl answered.

"Very well, I will watch from above, then," she replied, as light purple feathers sprouted from her back.

"You have wings too?" Chiharo questioned, astounded.

"Of course, don't you know?" Nekotiri answered. Seeing the confused expression on the little girl's face, she said, "Never mind. You'll learn soon enough."

And, with that, the purple-haired woman took to the sky.

. . .

Berylsythe flew faster than he thought he ever could. All that was on his mind was finding Chiharo and protecting his little friend. _I'll be with you soon, Chiharo!_


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four: Berylsythe

Chiharo, Nekotiri, and Guss-Guss made it to Hinu, just as the sun started to shine. As Nekotiri landed, she asked Chiharo, "Hey, have you learned to call upon your bonded weapon, yet?"

With the same confused face we have all come to know, the little girl responded, "Bonded weapon?"

"You truly are clueless, my friend," the woman sighed. She then began giving the girl instructions on how to make her weapon appear. Why would she do this? Well, duh, they're on an island where great warriors grew up and trained. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

"Alright. Hold up your hands and think of a weapon. Good, good. Are you concentrating? Okay. Now send some of your energy to your hands…"

_Shring!_

Chiharo opened her eyes to see a sword in her hands. "This is no ordinary weapon, Chiharo. It is called 'Moonlight'," Nekotiri stated.

The girl could see why the sword would be called that. It had a blue moon-shaped part at the top of the blade. At the start of the handle, there was a lime green star shape. And, attached to the bottom, was an orange and yellow sun at the end of a chain.

"Not only is it a sword, the blade can also extend into a staff. It should come in handy," Nekotiri finished.

"Okay!" Chiharo replied, happily.

"Oh, I forgot," the woman remembered. "If you want the weapon to disappear, just think of it disappearing. Got it?"

"Yup!" she replied, making the weapon go back to where it came from. Her stomach growled. "Can we go get some food, now?"

"Absolutely," Nekotiri answered.

The group walked into a busy marketplace on the island.

"You two stay here," the purple-haired woman commanded. "I'll be back with some food, shortly."

Chiharo and Guss-Guss nodded in return.

The two did as they were told, well, for a little while, anyway. Chiharo heard some ruckus coming from her left. So, she ran over to see what was going on.

When the girl was close enough, Chiharo saw a group of muscular men attacking something. It looked to be a dragon. But, this was no ordinary dragon, Chiharo realized- it was the same one she met when she first spirit-traveled!

And, what was the first thing Chiharo did? She summoned her weapon, just as Nekotiri had taught her, of course. The girl yelled, "Leave him alone!" at the men trying to tie down the dragon.

Seeing no reaction, Chiharo yelled, "Fiurno!" and sent a fire blast at one of the men. That caught their attention!

The group turned away from the red-orange dragon and began to circle the girl.

Berylsythe gathered his strength and looked up just in time to see one of the men strike Chiharo. The little girl hit the ground and her weapon vanished.

The mighty fire dragon flew up a little, then dive-bombed the group, grabbing his little friend in the process.

Nekotiri ran up beside Guss-Guss. "Berylsythe…!" the woman exclaimed, the look of surprise on her face. "Come on!" she said, lifting Guss-Guss up and heading the way the dragon had gone.

Up in the air…

"I am so glad to see you safe and relatively unharmed, Chiharo," Berylsythe said, sounding as though he was near tears. He held her close to him. "What were you thinking, trying to save me like that?"

"Well, I… I couldn't just stand there and watch. I had to do something," the girl replied, near tears herself.

The dragon held her up and looked closely at his little friend. "Don't _ever_ do that again… I already thought I had lost you before."

"Who are you?" Chiharo asked, wiping a couple tears away.

This took Berylsythe by surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. I never told you, did I? My name, little one, is Berylsythe," he replied, sweetly.

"Berylsythe!" Nekotiri called, flying up beside the dragon.

"N-Nekotiri?! You're… You're…" he stuttered.

"Yes, I'm alive. And it makes me feel great power just seeing you again!" the purple-haired woman replied, cheerfully.

"How do you two know each other?" Chiharo asked, confused as always.

"Well, that's easy," Nekotiri responded. "I'm one of the Guardians of the Dragons like you."

"Me?! B-but… What? How?" the girl questioned.

"We will explain on our way back to the Dragon Temple," Berylsythe answered, patting the girl's chocolate brown hair. "Okay?"

Chiharo nodded in agreement.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Truth

Guss-Guss was at least thirty pounds heavier than Nekotiri, and she had been holding him as she flew for well over an hour. But, the disturbing part to the feline was the fact that the purple-haired woman showed no signs of tiring. She had some stamina, for sure.

Chiharo flew between Berylsythe and Nekotiri, trying to process all of the information the two were giving her. Nekotiri had just filled her in on the Legend of the Guardians.

"So, let me get this straight. You are part of an eleven group team who, once, each had a jewel and a key. And you are their leader," the girl asked.

"Yup!" Nekotiri confirmed. "You got it!"

"But, what happened to all of the jewels and keys?" she questioned.

"You, Chiharo, were created from Nekotiri's jewel," Berylsythe answered, remembering the day Digivani had found the jewel. "As for her key, I have no idea," he confessed.

"Nor do I. But, the other Guardians of the Dragons will, or already have, passed a jewel to one of their descendants and a key to another born the same time," the woman explained. "Except for the Guardian of the Light Dragon, anyway. There seems to only be one of them, so he gets both."

"You mean, Kimmy and Sai are also Guardians?!" Chiharo exclaimed.

"Yes, indeed," Nekotiri chimed. "Naoko is the Guardian of Berylsythe here." She shifted a hand towards the fire dragon, who smiled in return. "And, the original Guardian of the Light Dragon is named Demitryx."

"Hang on. If Kimmy only has a jewel, who has Naoko's key?"

"Kimmy's cousin, Kimiko," the purple-haired woman replied, matter-of-factly.

Go figure.

Chiharo held her head. "I have a headache," she said, slowing down a bit. A surge of agonizing pain hit the girl. "Agh!" she yelped and began plummeting downward.

"Chiharo!" Berylsythe called, diving down and catching her.

"Perhaps we should land somewhere to rest," Nekotiri suggested. "My arms are starting to lock up, anyway."

The Fire Guardian nodded and began descending to the forest below.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Another Guardian

Chiharo was unconscious for nearly a half an hour. The entire time, Berylsythe lie beside her, waiting for his friend to wake up. Studying the way her facial expression changed, he asked Nekotiri, "Do you think she is spirit-traveling again?"

"That would explain why she had gotten such a bad headache before," the Guardian replied. "I remember when I learned my spirit could travel."

"Yes, you had headaches constantly," Berylsythe said. "It must be hard," he decided, shifting his attention back to Chiharo.

"All I know is, since I met Chiharo, more and more weird things have been happening," Guss-Guss stated, with a sigh.

Out of nowhere, Chiharo bolted up with a look of fear on her face. Berylsythe beckoned her over to him. When she reached forward, the dragon could sense her rapid heartbeat and frantic breathing. "What happened?" he questioned.

"There… Th-there were monkeys, Drones, rock creatures, a-a key, I-I-"

"Calm down, Chiharo. Take a deep breath," Berylsythe interrupted, stroking her hair.

Doing as she was told, the girl took a deep breath and started from the beginning. "There was a mountain draped in shadow. Inside the mountain, around a well with green light spewing from it, there was a whole bunch of monkeys, rick creatures, and Drones. In the light, I saw scary yellow eyes. I'm not sure whether they were looking at me, or if the eyes were staring at the yellow key on of the monkeys held."

Nekotiri stopped her from saying any more. "The yellow key, did it have a silver design on it?" she asked.

The little girl nodded.

"It's my key," the Guardian said, sounding hurt.

"The mountain must have been the Mountain of Malefor," Berylsythe stated, grimly.

"And the eyes?" Guss-Guss questioned. "Whose were they?"

"Malefor's," the fire dragon replied.

Chiharo grimaced, exclaiming, "What?! But wasn't he locked in convexity?!"

"He is not free. He was just watching through his mind," Nekotiri explained.

"Oh, I forgot," the girl remembered. "Right before I left, the key transformed into an egg," she said, peering up at Berylsythe.

"That egg probably holds, within it, another Guardian," Nekotiri said, with a sigh.

"Yes, another one. And it is in the hands of Malefor and his forces," the fire dragon added, not liking the sound of any of it.

"This is very, very bad," the purple-haired woman stated, sadly.

"If this is as bad as we think, we must hurry back to the Temple," Berylsythe decided, standing up and lifting up Chiharo.

"Indeed," Nekotiri agreed. She lifted up Guss-Guss and spread her wings.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

To the Temple, At Last

After a long, tiring, and hungering journey, the four finally made it to the Dragon Temple. Berylsythe landed on the Temple's balcony and set Chiharo down. Nekotiri doing the same with Guss-Guss.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Chiharo exclaimed, happily.

"Amazing," an awed Guss-Guss managed to say.

"Oh, it's so nice to be home," Nekotiri said, with a long sigh of relief.

The door to the Training Room opened and Thracklor stepped outside. The Earth Guardian's face lit up, when he saw Berylsythe was back.

"Berylsythe!" the earth dragon called, cheerfully. "Welcome back!" His gaze fell on Nekotiri. "N-Nekotiri, you're alive!" he exclaimed.

The purple-haired Guardian gave him a hug and replied, "Yes, I am. And I'm so happy to see you, Thracklor."

Both a yellow and a blue dragon stepped out onto the balcony.

"Icklemar! Hydrax!" Nekotiri called, waving at the two of them.

"Nekotiri!" both dragons yelled, in unison. She gave them both hugs.

The yellow dragon, Icklemar, noticed something small out of the corner of his eye: Chiharo. The Electric Guardian looked at her wondering, _What in the world is a little girl doing here?_

Hydrax, the ice dragon, followed his gaze. He voiced both of their thoughts. "Berylsythe, who is that and what is she doing here?"

"Oh, my apologies. This girl is Chiharo and the cat is her friend, Guss-Guss," the fire dragon responded.

"Yes, and why is she here?" the Ice Guardian questioned, a bit rudely.

Chiharo felt unwelcoming aura coming from the electric and ice dragons. Even Thracklor didn't seem very happy to see her. She slowly walked over to Berylsythe and hid behind his arm.

Feeling the unnerving essence coming from everyone, Nekotiri thought she might help to change the subject. "Say, why don't we go inside and have a bite to eat?" she asked, hopefully.

Thracklor, understanding what his purple-haired friend was getting at, agreed, "That sounds good," and began heading back towards the door.

Everyone else followed. AS they walked, Chiharo made sure to stay close to Berylsythe. The fire dragon attempted to access the girl's mind, to try to see what was wrong with her. But, he found that Chiharo's mind blocked him from doing so. Well, it wasn't like he needed to hear her thoughts to know she didn't feel welcome there.

The little girl looked up at Berylsythe and nodded. The Fire Guardian froze suddenly- had she been listening to _his _thoughts, that entire time? He looked down. She nodded again.

Thracklor, noticing the fire dragon had stopped, whispered, "Is everything alright?"

"It's nothing," he replied, blushing slightly.

Chiharo peered up to see Hydrax staring at her. She cringed at the sound of his thoughts: _I will get rid of that girl, no matter what it takes. I refuse to trust another humanoid!_

"Berylsythe…," she yelped, quietly.

There was no need to tell the Fire Guardian, though. He heard it too. _It will be alright, Chiharo_, he thought. _Don't worry._

The girl nodded, to make sure he knew that she had heard.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nea-Elva

Icklemar and Hydrax assisted Nekotiri, as she made food for everyone.

Meanwhile, inside the Chamber of the Pool of Visions, Berylsythe and Thracklor whispered back and forth, as Chiharo played with Guss-Guss.

"I don't care how Hydrax and Icklemar feel about it- Chiharo is staying," a very displeased fire dragon said, in a low voice.

"Listen, Berylsythe. I understand that you must care a great deal for Chiharo, but even I do not think she should be here," Thracklor replied.

"That little girl means the world to me, Thracklor. She even tried to save my life." The Fire Guardian paused for a moment. "Being around her is like being arou-"

"Around Elva?" the earth dragon finished for him. "So, you're telling me, the only reason you care for this girl is because she is like Elva?" Thracklor questioned, raising his voice a bit.

Chiharo stopped what she was doing and turned towards the dragons. Before Berylsythe could answer, she asked, "Who's Elva?"

This fire dragon's gaze immediately focused on the girl. He blushed greatly, not realizing that she may have been listening to their entire conversation.

"I only heard the last part," Chiharo confirmed. "Who is Elva, and how am I like her?"

Berylsythe glanced over at Thracklor who nodded. "Come here, Chiharo," the Fire Guardian said. When she was settled, he took a deep breath and began. "Quite a few years before you entered this world, Chiharo, there was another girl I knew who was very much like you. Her name was Nea-Elva, and she was my daughter."

The little girl looked quite shocked. "Can you tell me who her mother was?" she asked, curiously.

Berylsythe nodded and replied, "Nekotiri."

"What happened to Elva?" the girl questioned, hoping she wasn't crossing a boundary.

"It's alright, Chiharo," the fire dragon said, sensing her hesitant feelings. "Elva was… she was…" Tears began to fill the great dragon's eyes, as images from his past filled his mind.

"Malefor's goons snuck in, one night, and kidnapped her," Nekotiri continued, standing in a doorway. "We tried to get her back, but… we…"

Chiharo shook her head. "Please, don't say any more," she practically pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "I understand," the girl sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

Thracklor stared at Chiharo in shock. He hadn't expected her to feel that way. He watched as Berylsythe cradled the girl, thinking, _She really is just like Elva. Maybe she would be good for Berylsythe… But I cannot afford to take any chances…_


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

You Do Not Belong

"Thank you, Nekotiri," Berylsythe said, as the purple-haired Guardian set some food in front of him.

"Thanks…," Chiharo told her, quietly.

Even though she was hungry and the food looked so delicious, Chiharo barely touched her plate. It wasn't that the girl didn't want to eat it, it was the fact that the emotions Icklemar and Hydrax gave off were utterly unnerving. It felt obvious that Hydrax absolutely hated her. And, though he didn't seem hateful, Icklemar wanted her to go away. Thracklor seemed confused, as though he didn't know whether he wanted Chiharo there or gone. Berylsythe was utterly annoyed.

Guss-Guss glanced around, not sure how he should feel about anything anymore.

No one spoke, until Chiharo said, "Excuse me." She stood up and walked to the Chamber of the Pool of Visions.

Berylsythe watched the girl walk away, trying as hard as he could to find something to say to her. But, sadly, he could think of nothing.

The door closed behind Chiharo. "What is your problem?!" the Fire Guardian demanded from the others.

Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor stared at him, startled. It was Hydrax who spoke up. "She doesn't belong here, Berylsythe. You know this just as well as we do."

"What?! You have no idea what you're talking abou-" the fire dragon stopped, abruptly. He heard something. Something beautiful. Chiharo was singing…

"Let me tell ya 'bout a story,

Long time ago,

In the Dragon Temple.

Seems Malefor had taken control of things,

Had everyone in the palm of his hand.

But,

A certain group of people called the Guardians,

Didn't want to play his game,

Oh, yeah!

So,

They locked him in the portal,

Of Convexity!

Kanananananana,

Kanananananana,

Kananananana,

Little Guardian.

Feeling blue,

I'm thinking of you!

Oh, I'd been a fool,

To have let you walk away!

The tears in my eyes today,

Make my world the colors of

Blue, purple, and black!

Kanai-yai-yai,

Kanai-yai-yai,

Kanai-yai-yai,

Where's a family?

I've been searchin' through the woods.

And far beyond the hills,

Just to find,

To find a family.

I wish them to be strong,

And very, very kind,

Yes,

I-I need,

I need a family.

Kanai-yai-yai,

I'm your little Guardian.

Blue, purple, and black,

Are the colors in the sky.

Kanai-yai-yai,

Kanai-yai-yai,

Kanai-yai-yai,

Where's a family?

Just when I found a place to stay,

How could they see into my eyes,

Like open doors?

Even though I tried to lead them down,

To my core where I'd become so numb.

Then the Drones came.

Now my friends are somewhere cold.

Until they find where they're kept,

Help them, please.

Kanai-yai-yai,

Kanai-yai-yai,

Kanai-yai-yai,

Where's a family?

I've been searchin' round the world,

And high above the clouds,

Just to find,

To find a family.

Only if they will,

Keep me by their side,

Yes,

I-I need,

I need a family.

Kanai-yai-yai,

I'm your little Guardian.

Blue, purple, and black,

Are the colors in the sky.

Forgive meeee…

Forgive me nooot…

Forgive mee.

Forgive me not.

Forgive me!

Forgive me not!

Forgive me!

Why can't I forgive me?!

Kanananananana,

Kanananananana,

Kananananana,

Little Guardian…"

As soon as she was done, Chiharo burst into tears. Her cries sounded so painful, so heartbroken…

Berylsythe stood up and bolted through the door. The others followed, close behind. The fire dragon sat down and gently lifted up Chiharo, cradling her as she cried.

"Chiharo, I…," Thracklor started. He wasn't able to finish, for the girl finally let all of her feelings go.

"Nothing ever goes right! All of my friends get taken away from me! Everyone else I meet hates me and wants me to go away! Why? What did I do? What have I ever done?!" she bawled.

Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor's eyes went to the floor. They felt so ashamed.

"I hate it! I hate it all! Why? _Why me_?!" She cried harder. "I just want someone I can depend on! All I want is a home!"

Berylsythe set her down. "Why don't you ask them?" he asked, so soothingly and sweet.

"I'm begging you not to make me leave!" Chiharo choked out through her tears. "Please! I have nowhere else to go!"

But, before anyone could answer, an all-too-familiar banging came from the balcony door. _Drones_…


	31. Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty:

The Guardian of the Purple Dragon

_Bwak!_

_Bwak!_

_Bwak!_

"No… It can't be. Not again. No!" Chiharo sobbed.

"Guss-Guss, take Chiharo and go to the other chamber," Berylsythe commanded. "The rest of you, prepare for battle!"

As the four Dragon Guardians and Nekotiri readied themselves, Guss-Guss slipped away with his little friend.

The Drones were already filing into the Training Room, heading towards the Chamber of the Pool of Visions. Nekotiri summoned her Dual Rings of Cratera- two large, striped rings with long spikes adorning the outside. The Guardian leapt into the air and dove down, making the first hit.

Even though the five of them were extremely skilled fighters, the sheer number of Drones began to wear them out, after a short while.

And, before you start saying that that's impossible, it's _not_. Even the mightiest of creatures have their limits.

Chiharo went to try and help them, but Guss-Guss stopped her. "Let me go, Guss-Guss! I need to go help them! They won't last for much longer!" she demanded.

"What could you possibly do to help five masters of the elements, Chiharo?" he questioned, in return.

The girl looked the feline straight in the eyes, answering, "Just watch. I have an idea."

The cat reluctantly let her go. "You better not get hurt, Chiharo," he said.

Chiharo just turned away and opened the door.

Berylsythe and the others had never felt so worn out in their lives. The Fire Guardian glanced around. No. He still could see no end to the Drones. He was becoming tired, too tired. The dragon was certain his friends were feeling the same way.

Just as a Drone went to freeze Berylsythe with his staff, Chiharo shrieked, "STOP!"

Berylsythe shifted his gaze to see Chiharo in the middle of the sea of Drones. The little Guardian floated up, purple energy swirling around her. She uncurled her body and screamed at the top of her lungs. Power flowed through her entire being. The power expanded past her body in large, beyond powerful waves of pure energy.

The onslaught went on for nearly a minute. The Drones that weren't completely decimated fled the Temple as fast as they were able.

It was over…

Chiharo floated gently back to the ground, where she collapsed, unconscious. That little girl, the new Guardian of the Purple Dragon, had saved them all…


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One:

Welcome Home

Chiharo awoke several hours later. Her head was throbbing and scorching. Her stomach felt knotted up. To put it simple, she felt like crap.

The little girl tried to sit up but found she had no strength to move. "Just stay put, Chiharo," Thracklor told her, soothingly. "You are very ill."

She glanced around at everyone in the room. When her gaze landed on Berylsythe, their eyes met. The look on his face told her she had done something wrong.

"Chiharo… you risked your life to save all of us. Why?" the fire dragon all but pleaded.

"Because, I didn't want to lose anyone else," she replied, weakly. "You, Nekotiri, Guss-Guss, Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor… You're all the family I have left."

Thracklor, Hydrax, and Icklemar looked up in surprise. Chiharo had just called them her family. Even after everything they did, she still said they were her _family_.

"I told you to never try and rescue me again," Berylsythe stated, kind of harshly. "Why did you?"

Thracklor interjected, "Berylsythe, if Chiharo had not done what she did, we would probably all be dead." _Or, possibly, frozen for eternity._

"I-I know that. I just want to know why she disobeyed me," he replied.

Before Thracklor could respond, Chiharo asked, "Isn't the answer to that obvious?"

"What?" he questioned.

"It's because I love you."

Berylsythe felt that one. Tears streamed down his face. "Y-you do?"

"Of course I do. Why shouldn't I?" came the girl's response.

For the first time in ages, Berylsythe allowed himself to cry full-heartedly. He lifted Chiharo up gently and held her close.

After a few moments, he held her away from him. Looking Chiharo in the eyes, he asked her, "What is it that you want most, Chiharo?"

The little girl pondered his question. Then, she requested, "Can I call you 'Dad'?"

With eyes filling up with fresh tears, the dragon replied, "Of course you can," with the sweetest smile and most soothing voice Chiharo had ever heard.

Thracklor cleared his throat. "It would seem that Icklemar and Hydrax have something to say to you, Chiharo."

The ice and electric dragons grimaced. Was the conversation they were having _that_ loud?

"Oh, well… um… It is just…," Icklemar stuttered.

Hydrax hit his electric friend over the head. And, before the electric dragon had a chance to return the favor, he suggested, "Why do we not try saying it together?"

The Electric Guardian nodded. In unison, they said, "Welcome home, Chiharo!"

The girl smiled weakly, as she replied, "Thank you!" as excitedly as she could muster.

Chiharo had a home at last…


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two:

Drawings of Visions

Although Chiharo was gravely ill, she was extremely restless. The girl continued having visions that would wake her up in the middle of the night.

Five days after the young Guardian had saved everyone in the Dragon Temple, she had asked for some drawing utensils. She began drawing some all-too-real-looking pictures.

"Who is that?" Berylsythe asked, pointing to a picture of a young fire dragon.

"His name is Ignitus. It's said like 'Ignite us'. I thought it sounded like a good name for him," Chiharo replied, with a smile.

"And, who are they?" the Fire Guardian questioned, motioning to the other three pictures she had laid out in front of her.

"The little electric dragon is Volteer. The ice dragon's name is Cyril. And I decided to call the earth dragon Terrador," she answered, pointing at the dragons corresponding to their names.

Berylsythe felt a little awkward. "Are they from your visions?"

Chiharo nodded slowly.

"What, exactly, do you see in these visions?" the fire dragon asked, curiously.

Chiharo pondered the question for a moment. "Well, depending on who or what is in the vision influences what you see," she explained. "For instance, when I had the vision of Ignitus, there was fire. Lots and lots of fire."

"Do the visions make you feel a certain way?"

"Depending on what I see, I get a rush of different emotions. Some are complicated, though, so I have to try to figure out what they mean," came the girl's response.

"I cannot even begin to imagine how you must feel, when you have these visions…," Berylsythe said.

"They're not exactly the funnest thing in the world," the girl replied, with a sigh.

Neither of them heard Thracklor approach, so, when he asked, "What are you two talking about?" they nearly crapped themselves.

Berylsythe whirled around, exclaiming, "Don't sneak up on me like that, Thracklor! You made me twitch!"

The earth dragon simply laughed in return and Chiharo giggled along with him. The two of them pounded fists. In the few days she had been living at the Temple, Thracklor had become quite fond of her.

It warmed Berylsythe's heart to see everyone accept his little friend. Likewise, it made Thracklor happy that the Fire Guardian had found someone that was like a daughter to him.

"Oh, Thracklor!" Chiharo said, waving a hand towards her pictures. "What do you think?"

The earth dragon positioned himself closer so he could examine the drawings. "Isn't he a little scrawny?" he questioned, pointing to the picture of Terrador.

"In my vision, he hatched with his muscles not fully developed. But, whenever he gets older, Terrador will be big and strong like you," she explained.

The Earth Guardian turned towards Berylsythe. "Do you think these visions might be showing the future?" he asked him, in a low voice.

The fire dragon pondered the question. He shifted his down to Chiharo. "Have you heard anything strange said in your visions?"

She thought for moment. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I did hear some pretty weird things," the girl responded, bringing a finger to her chin. "From all four of the little dragons, I heard them talking about becoming Guardians someday."

"Well, I'll be," the Fire Guardian awed. "You can see into the future, Chiharo." _Chiharo's abilities keep growing and growing. I mean, even I'm amazed at how quickly she is learning them._

"Is it really that amazing?" Chiharo asked, reading his mind.

Berylsythe chuckled. "Yes, Chiharo. It truly is remarkable."

The little Guardian of the Purple Dragon continued drawing pictures throughout the day. Well, who could blame her? She didn't have the strength to do much of anything else.

Berylsythe walked into the Chamber of the Pool of Visions later that night. Chiharo was curled up in a ball on the floor sleeping. He gathered up all of her pictures and lie down beside her.

The girl opened her eyes slightly, as he took the hair ties out of her hair. Then she snuggled closer to the dragon and fell back to sleep.

The fire dragon smiled and fell asleep shortly after.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three:

Well and Raring To Go

Chiharo was half awake when she realized that Berylsythe was no longer in the chamber. "Daddy?!" she called, frantically, standing up and looking around. _No, not Berylsythe!_ the girl's mind freaked. "Daddy!" she yelled again, tears stinging her eyes.

"Chiharo?" Icklemar asked, bursting through the door. "What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?"

"Where's Daddy?" the little girl all but pleaded.

"Berylsythe left just a little while ago. He said he had to go somewhere. Do not worry, little one," the electric dragon reassured her, patting her softly on the head. "Berylsythe will be back soon."

Just then, the Fire Guardian entered the chamber from the Training Room.

"Daddy!" Chiharo cheered, happily.

"Chiharo!" came his response, his face lighting up. "Are you feeling better?"

She hadn't had time to notice. She felt wonderful. Her head was no longer hot and she was actually hungry. "Yeah, I am!" she chimed.

Berylsythe smiled. "I'm very glad to hear that. Since you're feeling better, now, I have something I want to show you." The fire dragon turned to go back through the door. Chiharo followed him eagerly. In the meantime, Icklemar went to fetch the others.

Berylsythe lead Chiharo to the front of the dragon statue that dominated the Training Room. "I had found this… uh, compartment quite some years ago," he explained. He placed a paw on the largest glowing circle at the base of the statue. There was a low rumbling, as part of the base shifted into the floor. When the slab was fully out of sight, it revealed a room hidden beneath the statue.

"Wow!" Chiharo exclaimed, in amazement.

The room was lit with pretty glowing stones that lined the walls. There was a bed that looked as though it was fit for a princess- canopy and all. There was a small dresser and stuffed animals were everywhere.

"Oh, one more thing," Berylsythe remembered. He pulled out a new purple dress with white frills, white leggings, purple and silver boots, and purple pompom hair ties.

The little Guardian looked up at Berylsythe, her eyes shining brighter than they ever had before. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cheered, giving him a hug.

"You are very welcome, Chiharo," the Fire Guardian responded. "I'll give you a moment to change," he said, handing her the clothes.

"Okay!" she replied. She walked into her new room and Berylsythe closed the door for her.

After a few moments, Chiharo opened the door. She twirled around, asking, "What do you think?"

"Wonderful, Chiharo! Absolutely wonderful!" Berylsythe stated, with a smile.

"I believe the term is 'adorable'," Thracklor agreed.

Nekotiri clapped excitedly. "I love it!"

"Brown hair, huge, bright eyes, freckles, and the fact that you always look like you're blushing, _combined_ with the cute dress… You look as though you could be an angel, Chiharo," Hydrax decided.

"Charming. Completely and totally charming," Guss-Guss added.

"Yes. All of that and much more," Thracklor concluded.

Everyone gave a laugh at that.

"Well, seeing as you're well and raring to go, would you like to do some training, Chiharo?" Berylsythe asked her.

The little girl nodded. "Sure!" came her happy response.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four:

Let's See What You've Got

Berylsythe sent the statue into the floor- something Chiharo thought was "way cool". After doing so, he began explaining, "You know how you learned all of those elemental spells, right?"

The little Guardian nodded.

"Well, Icklemar, Hydrax, Thracklor, and myself will be teaching you stronger, more efficient techniques than those." The fire dragon stepped out of the large circle on the floor. "Let us begin. We will start with a simple fire blast. When I summon a dummy, just focus, allowing the energy to flow through you, open your mouth, and the fire flow freely."

Chiharo glanced around nervously. Everyone was watching her- just a _little_ unnerving.

Berylsythe summoned a medium-sized monkey dummy. Chiharo waited until it charged at her. When the dummy was close enough, the girl sprang up into the air. She spun around then opened her mouth and watch a flamethrower erupt from it. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

It was Icklemar who spoke up first. "Th-that was phenomenal, Chiharo!"

She blushed slightly and giggled in response.

"Well, um, excellent, Chiharo," Berylsythe complemented, slightly dumbfounded and at a loss for words. "The next technique is slightly more challenging, but I am sure you will be able to handle it with extreme ease."

She nodded to let the fire dragon know she was ready.

"Alright," he continued. "Focus once more. When, you feel the time is right, let the flames spew in a short, concentrated burst. If you succeed, the results may be… explosive."

Haha! He made a funny!

The Fire Guardian summoned a medium-size dummy, once again. This time, Chiharo charged towards it. While running, she built up enough momentum that, when she thrust her arm forward, she knocked him up into the air. The Guardian jumped up and roundhouse kicked the dummy, sending it flying. Turning in the air to face the dummy again, Chiharo opened her mouth and a fire bomb shot out. The bomb made contact, blew up in a pretty red explosion, and caused the dummy to disintegrate.

"S-so much raw power," an awed Berylsythe managed to say.

Chiharo shifted her gaze over to the dragon, giving him a bright, angelic smile. However, he could tell there was a trace of tiring in the way she stood. Well, _no duh_. That little body of hers can only do so much. Hence why she got sick after going supernova.

Not wanting to rick her passing out, Berylsythe suggested, "Why don't we stop for today? We'll continue with training tomorrow."

"Okay. I guess I am getting a little exhausted," Chiharo agreed.

The fire dragon beckoned her and she followed him into the Chamber of the Pool of Visions. "That was an outstanding, Chiharo," he commented. "There is only one way I can think to better your technique."

"Oh, you mean all of that fancy stuff I was doing?" she asked. "I just learned how to do that from the videogames I played with Kimmy and Sai," she explained, lifting a hand to the back of her head.

"You learned all that from playing videogames?" the Fire Guardian replied, almost laughing at himself for asking. Well, it's no surprise, videogames _can_ be pretty great teachers for combat, _if_ you play the right ones, anyway.

"What were you saying about bettering my technique? I would be more than happy to hear," Chiharo said.

He nodded. "All you need is a better sense of balance." He gestured to himself. "Dragons and other four-legged creatures have the balance you seek. So-"

"So, if I stand like a dragon, I will have increased balance?" Chiharo finished.

"Exactly!" the fire dragon confirmed.

The girl bent her knees as she arched forward. When her hands touched the floor, she asked, "Like this?"

"Yes, very good," Berylsythe replied. "It may take a bit of getting used to, but you'll have the hang of it in no time."

Chiharo smiled. She then took a few steps forward. "This is actually really easy!" she chimed.

Just as Berylsythe had said, she got the hang of it in no time, with little effort. Within a few minutes, she was already walking, running, and leaping gracefully.

"Well done, Chiharo!" the Fire Guardian cheered. "You truly are a quick learner."

The little girl giggled in response.

_\Yes, quick indeed_, he though. _I cannot even begin to imagine how strong she will be when she gets older._


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five:

Power to the Max

The next morning, Chiharo woke up happy and energized. The door to her room opened. "Are you up yet, Chiharo?" Berylsythe asked, lifting the canopy of her bed to see her.

"Morning, Dad!" the little Guardian sang, happily.

The dragon smiled in return. "Come one. Let's go have some breakfast," he said.

"Okay!" Chiharo replied, hopping off her bed and following him.

"Good morning, sunshine," Guss-Guss greeted Chiharo. "Did you sleep well, last night?"

"Yup!" came her cheery reply.

"You sound as though you're in a good mood, today," Thracklor commented, handing Chiharo a plate. "Are you looking forward to training?"

"Uh-huh! I feel great!" the girl confirmed.

"I'm very glad to hear that, Chiharo," Berylsythe said, with a smile.

"Can we start after breakfast?" she asked, hopefully.

The Fire Guardian chuckled. "Absolutely."

"Yay!" Chiharo cheered. She finished her food and beamed up at the dragon. To which Berylsythe smiled and nodded.

The group filed out of the chamber toward the Training Room.

Chiharo bounced excitedly. "The technique I will teach you next is one that I consider rather enjoyable," Berylsythe explained. "First, allow some energy to seep out of your body and have it materialize around you as fire. Then spring into the air and dive down into a comet dash."

The little Guardian stood ready on all fours. "Berylsythe summoned a medium dummy. Chiharo waited until it came as close as she wanted it to. Fire began building up around her. She leapt high into the air then surged forward, smashing into the monkey dummy. The little Guardian landed gracefully on the other side of it, as it fell over and vanished.

"Truly magnificent!" Berylsythe called to her.

"You really do have great potential, Chiharo," Thracklor complemented.

"I believe that is putting it mildly," Hydrax stated.

"For once, I must agree with Hydrax," Icklemar said.

Everyone else stood there, momentarily stupefied.

"What?" the Electric Guardian questioned, innocently. "Even I can be agreeable sometimes, can I not?"

All of them laughed in return. Aaah… Good times.

Chiharo turned and nodded to Berylsythe. "I'm ready to continue," she said, sweetly.

The fire dragon gave a nod of his own, in return. "The next, and last, technique I want you to learn is the fire fury- the Fury of Ishlandur's Final Stand."

"Ishlandur?" the little girl asked, tilting her head.

"I will explain later. Right now, you must focus and put your power to the max," came his response. Berylsythe's eyes met Chiharo's. "I will summon five dummies. You must rise and unleash the fire storm from within."

Chiharo concentrated harder than she ever had before. She rose up, just as the dummies began to close in on her. Red, orange, and yellow energy erupted from her being. Bombs of fire rained all around her.

After nearly a minute, the raging fire fury subsided. Chiharo slowly floated back down to the floor. She opened her eyes to see Berylsythe walking towards her. She smiled and collapsed into the fire dragon's arms.

"Well done, Chiharo. Well done," the Fire Guardian said, soothingly.

"Did I do okay?" she asked, peering up at Berylsythe.

"Did you do- Of course, Chiharo! That was amazing!" he returned.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six: Why?

That fire fury seemed to take away all of Chiharo's enthusiasm. Well, gee, I wonder what the reason for that could possibly be. Duh! Little girl + big boom = tuckered out.

Berylsythe was laying down beside the girl in the Chamber of the Pool of Visions. "Why is the fire storm named after a dragon?" the little Guardian questioned.

"Almost all the elemental attacks we know are named after dragons," the fire dragon answered. "Certain techniques are named after the dragons who created them."

Chiharo gazed at him in wonder.

Berylsythe smiled. "This fire blast I taught you is called 'Dragsooth's Fire Blast of the Eternal Inferno'. The fire bomb is known as 'Malak's Fire Bomb of the Burning Plains'. Those two go with The Fury of Ishlandur's Final Stand."

"What's the comet dash called?" the girl asked.

"That technique is dubbed 'Viviex' Raging Comet Dash of the Dancing Flames'," he replied.

The look on the Fire Guardian's face told Chiharo that he had not taught her a certain technique. "There's another fire attack that goes with the comet dash, isn't there?" she asked. "And, they go with another fire fury, right?"

That took Berylsythe by surprise. "Uh… Um, well… It's just…," he stuttered.

"Won't you tell me?" Chiharo questioned, giving him kitty eyes.

"Oh, well…," the fire dragon struggled to find the right words. "Y-yes, there is."

"What's its name?" The girl leaned in closer.

"I-it's called…," he hesitated.

"Come one, you can tell me," she pressed.

"Its name is… 'Berylsythe's Fire Blast of Infernal Ruin'," he gave in.

The girl's eyes lit up. "The fire blast is named after you? Wow! How hard was it to create it?" she questioned, leaning on the dragon's arm.

Berylsythe blushed as he raised a paw to the back of his head. "Heh heh," he chuckled. "Well, when I was little, just a bit bigger than you, my master had taught me how to use Dragsooth's Fire Blast and Malak's Fire Bomb. I had the bright idea of combining them. So, I concentrated, opened my mouth, and my eyes went wide, as a few fire bombs shot out of my mouth, followed by an amazingly strong fire stream," he explained.

The look on Chiharo's face was so enthusiastic that Berylsythe couldn't help smiling too.

"My master had no idea what to think. He asked me how I did it, so I gladly told him. He tried the new technique and decided to name it after me," he finished.

"Oh, wow, wow, WOW! That's just so… SO amazing!" the girl exclaimed, beaming even brighter. 'It must feel awesome to have an attack named after you!"

The Fire Guardian simply laughed.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Mina

_The sound of something like a sweet and tender chime- joyful and soothing…_

Berylsythe's eyes opened slightly. _What could that possibly be? _he thought. Then it hit him. _Why is Chiharo laughing? She shouldn't even be up at this hour._ So, he decided it might be a good idea to go check on her.

As the fire dragon made his way to the statue in the Training Room, he heard not only Chiharo's voice, but another one too. He opened the door to her room.

"Chiharo, what's going on?" the Fire Guardian asked.

Chiharo twitched in surprise, as did the being next to her. "Oh, um… H-hi, Daddy. I didn't mean to bother you," the girl said, sounding ashamed.

"No, it's alright, little one. Don't worry. I was just wondering why you were up so late," came Berylsythe's response.

"I was talking to my new friend Mina," Chiharo replied, motioning to the other being.

He shifted his gaze over to the other. This girl reminded him of something that had happened a while ago. The light went on. Duh! How could Berylsythe have forgotten when Chiharo had come to the Temple in her spirit form? The girl that sat beside her on the bed gave off the same atmosphere she had. The only difference was the fact that Chiharo's spirit glowed and iridescent purple, while this girl's was more of a yellowish orange.

A look of wonder spread across Berylsythe's features. "Are you… part of the species called 'Guardians'?" he questioned her.

Mina nodded. "Yes, I am," she answered, cheerfully. "How did you guess?"

"You can spirit travel…," the fire dragon stated, in what could be interpreted as shock.

Chiharo had a look of utter confusion on her face. "I can spirit travel too. But, I'm not part of the Guardian race, am I?"

Before the Fire Guardian could reply, Mina said, "You might be." She pulled back some of the hair that framed her face, to reveal an elf-like ear. "If you are, you should have ears like this."

The little Guardian did the same. Berylsythe's eyes widened, when he saw that Chiharo, too, had elf ears.

"Oh, yeah!" Mina remembered. "Every one of us also has two marks on our bodies, as well. All members of our race bare the mark of the kygal on our chest," she said, pointing to- oh, Lord, that's the same mark Chiharo has. "And, depending on who you are descended from, you will have a different mark on your forehead," the girl explained, pulling back some of her bangs the reveal another mark. "I share the same one as my older sister."

Chiharo pulled back her bangs too. "Oh, wow!" Mina exclaimed. "You have the mark of Ridgiten, Chiharo!"

"Ridgiten?" came the little Guardian's bewildered answer.

"Yes, Ridgiten," the glowing yellow-orange spirit-girl confirmed. "He and Haloten are wonderful are wonderful and extremely powerful creatures. You're really lucky to have his mark!"

Chiharo glanced up at Berylsythe, who said, "By our Ancestors, you truly are a Guardian. Not only the Guardian of the Purple Dragon, but you're part of the species too."

"Um, I'm going to have to leave, Chiharo," Mina sighed. "My sister tends to worry if I'm gone too long."

"Okay," Chiharo replied. "I hope I can see you again soon."

"I think I will be able to arrange something," the spirit girl said, with a smile. "See ya!" And, with that, she disappeared with a bright flash.

Berylsythe still wore a dumbfounded look on his face. Chiharo, noticing this, asked, "What's wrong?"

The fire dragon snapped out of his trance. "The Guardian race, except for you and Nekotiri, were wiped out by Malefor…"

"What?!" the girl exclaimed, alarm spreading across her face.

The Fire Guardian sat on the floor beside Chiharo's bed. He took in a deep breath and began. "Quite some years ago, before Malefor was locked in Convexity, the purple dragon did something horrible. He tried to destroy every one of the Guardian species."

"Why?! Why would even he do something like that?" Chiharo demanded.

"I remember him ranting about the Guardian race being the purest beings of this world. Dragons came only second to them," Berylsythe explained. "And, well, Malefor doesn't like being second to anything. This fact drove him to kill them off. When he tried to destroy Nekotiri was when Icklemar, Hydrax, Thracklor, and I decided this could go on no longer." He gave a deep sigh. "It was only with the help of Nekotiri that we were able to lock the Dark Master in Convexity, after one final battle."

"Was that when you thought Nekotiri was destroyed?" Chiharo asked.

"Yes, and this was shortly after the loss of Elva. I felt truly devastated," came the Fire Guardian's response.

"Please, don't get upset," Chiharo pleaded, tears filling her eyes.

Berylsythe opened his eyes, streaming with tears and met Chiharo's. The girl stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a hug. The fire dragon lifted her up and embraced her in return. Noticing the rather displeased aura Chiharo gave off, he asked her, "What's the matter?'

"I don't like it when you cry," the girl answered. Before he could ask why, she said, "It makes me feel sad and the thought that I've done something wrong creeps into me."

"I don't mean to make you feel that way, Chiharo," the dragon replied, apologetically.

"It's not your fault," the girl replied. _It's my fault. It always has been._

Berylsythe didn't need to be able to read Chiharo's mind to know what she was thinking. "Don't blame yourself for any of this, little one. None of this was caused by you."'

More tears filled her eyes. "But, all those people, my friends, were frozen because of me," she sobbed.

"Oh, Chiharo… That was not because of you; it was caused by Malefor," Berylsythe said, soothingly.

The girl hugged him tighter. "Please promise you won't ever leave me…"

The Fire Guardian hugged her back. "I promise, Chiharo."

She looked up into his eyes. "Will you teach me your fire blast tomorrow?" she asked him.

Berylsythe chuckled. "Of, course," he replied, and set her back down on her bed.

Just as he turned to leave, Chiharo said, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

The fire dragon turned to face her. Her face was so pleading, he felt he didn't have the heart to say no. So, he settled down on the floor and returned, "Come here."

Chiharo smiled, climbed off her bed, and lie down beside the dragon. As Chiharo snuggled close to Berylsythe and he put an arm around her, she said, "I love you, Daddy."

The Fire Guardian smiled and kissed her on top of her head. "I love you too, Chiharo. Sweet dreams."

"You too," she replied.

The two were soon fast asleep…


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

A Good Father

"Chiharo, wake up," Berylsythe said, softly nudging the girl.

The little Guardian's eyes opened slightly. She smiled and replied, "Good morning, Daddy."

The fire dragon smiled in return. "Good morning, little one." He nuzzled her and stood up, asking, "Are you ready for some breakfast?"

"Uh-huh," came her response, as she sat up. She gave Berylsythe an angelic smile, as he opened the door.

As soon as Berylsythe sat down to eat, Chiharo jumped up and landed in the dragon's arms, with all her fifteen pounds of fun. "Yes, goofball?" the Fire Guardian asked her.

Chiharo gave another angelic smile. "I was just wondering: maybe you're the reason I'm here," she said.

The fire dragon looked her in the eyes. He leaned in closer and quietly replied, "Remember how you said you don't like it when I cry?"

The girl nodded slowly.

"Well, it's things like that that make me sad."

Chiharo looked so ashamed. "I'm sorry," she apologized, shifting her gaze to the floor. After a moment, she looked back up and said to him, "So, it _is_ my fault." Her voice sounded so hurt, Berylsythe felt hurt himself.

"No, Chiharo. Don't say that," the Fire Guardian returned, giving her a hug. Before anything else was said, though, the dragon's gaze shifted upward. And, to his embarrassment, everyone was watching the two of them. Berylsythe, blushing greatly, cleared his throat and asked, "Y-yes?"

Icklemar let out a bark of laughter.

"What's so funny?" the fire dragon demanded.

The Electric Guardian laughed harder. "You should see your face!"

Berylsythe grimaced. "W-what are you talking about?"

"You know, Berylsythe, you shouldn't be so defensive about being a good father," Thracklor stated, a grin spanning his muzzle.

The fire dragon blushed even more (as if that was even possible). This caused Hydrax to start chuckling too.

Reading Berylsythe's thoughts, Nekotiri asked, "Why don't you understand, Bery?"

He had the same look of confusion Chiharo normally did. He glanced down at the little girl the shrugged.

The purple-haired woman leaned closer to him. "Being a good father is nothing to be ashamed about," she told him.

"What does that have to do with anything?" the fire dragon questioned.

"A better question is why did you get so embarrassed when you saw us watching you?" Thracklor answered.

After Berylsythe didn't reply, Chiharo spoke his thoughts. "Because it made him feel like he did something wrong, and you were going to make fun of him."

"What? Are you crazy?!" Hydrax exclaimed.

"We would never do something of the sort," Icklemar continued.

"We think it's remarkable how close you two are," Thracklor added.

"And, it overjoys us to see you be a father to her even when you're around others and not just with her," Nekotiri concluded.

Guss-Guss nodded. "Yep, that's right."

"Does that make you feel better?" Chiharo asked, looking into Berylsythe's bright orange eyes.

"Yeah, it does," he replied, with a nod. "It truly does." He gave her one of the warmest smiles she had ever seen.

The girl smiled angelically in return, saying, "As far as I'm concerned, you are my real dad. And no one is ever going to change that."

The fire dragon hugged her, responding, "Thank you, Chiharo," as some tears fell from his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Chiharo demanded.

"I'm crying because I'm happy, Chiharo."

"I don't understand," the little Guardian stated, sounding as confused as always.

"I mean, when you said that, it made me feel as though I'm doing at least one thing right in my life," Berylsythe tried to explain.

"You've so much more right than that," Thracklor said. "You risked everything you had to make sure your friends were safe."

"But, look what happened to Elva. She-"

"It was beyond your power to do anything about that," Icklemar interjected.

Guss-Guss gave a long sigh. "I don't mean to be a party pooper, but can we stop talking about this and eat? Talking about sad things in the morning gives me a sour taste in my mouth."

Everyone laughed at the feline's statement.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Icklemar agreed.

Berylsythe nodded. As he set Chiharo down, she whispered to him, "I promise I'll get Elva back for you, no matter what."

"How in the world are you going to do that?" the fire dragon responded, quietly.

"I have no idea," she admitted. "But, I never break promises. So, I'm not going to give up." She gave him her most angelic smile yet and began to eat.


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine:

Definitely Unexpected

Chiharo finished her last bite of food and happily said, "I'll meet you in the Training Room!"

"Alright. I will be in shortly," came Berylsythe's reply.

The little girl smiled and walking through the door the Chamber of the Pool of Visions. Not even a moment later, everyone could hear her cry, "Daddy!"

The Fire Guardian, hearing the fear in her voice, got up and ran as fast as he possibly could to the other chamber.

What the dragon saw when he entered the chamber was slightly horrifying. In the center of the room, a huge portal had opened. Chiharo was standing on all-fours, trying to withstand the pull of the portal, but with little luck.

"Daddy! HELP!" she yelled, tears streaming from her eyes.

Berylsythe grabbed the girl's arm just as the portal lifted her into the air. He held her close and went to go to the Training Room, but the portal grew stronger and more agitated. So strong that it began pulling the mighty dragon in.

"Berylsythe, hold on!" Nekotiri called, running towards him.

"No, Nekotiri! Stay back!" the fire dragon yelled.

But… it was too late. With one final surge of energy, the portal took in all three of them. Thracklor made it to the door of the chamber just in time to see the wretched portal disappear…

. . .

Chiharo landed with a hard thud on the ground, in what looked like the middle of a garden. She bolted up and looked around frantically.

"Daddy! Where are you?!" she cried. "Nekotiri?! Please, someone answer me!"

The Guardian heard some rustling behind her, however, before she could turn around, a male's voice commanded, "Stop right there!"

. . .

Berylsythe woke up to being surrounded by an angry-looking group of humanoids.

"What are you doing here, _dragon_?" one of them demanded, speaking as though the word dragon was poison.

"I-I was brought here through a portal. I didn't mean to-"

"Do not lie to us!" another shouted. "Dragons are not welcome here after what the Dark Master did!"

. . .

"I am Nekotiri," the purple-haired Guardian told the humanoid she was talking to.

"Oh, wow! It's a pleasure to meet you!" the other woman said. "But, what has brought you to our land?"

"One of those nasty portals that tend to show up when you least expect them," Nekotiri replied, passively.

"My apologies. Did anyone else come with you?"

"Yes. A large red-orange dragon named Berylsythe and a little brunet girl called Chiharo," she explained.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "A dragon?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. Why? Is that bad?" the Guardian asked.

"Dragons do not tend to be welcomed nicely, after what you-know-who did."

"Then, we must hurry and find him!" Nekotiri decided.

. . .

A masked man in yellow and red stood before Chiharo. Beside him was a large horse-looking being with wings who also wore a mask.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the man questioned.

"I-I am Chiharo and I was s-sent here through a swirling vortex," the girl stuttered, shaking uncontrollably.

"Come here," the yellow-haired being commanded.

Chiharo shook her head and, just as he went to grab her arm, she turned and ran as fast as she was able in the other direction.

. . .

"Do you have any idea where my dragon friend may be?" Nekotiri asked her new friend.

"Well, wherever he is, my people are probably causing a riot," came the other woman's response.

"Oh…," the Guardian said, sounding a little hurt.

"This way," her friend stated, pointing. "Do you know who would be with your friend?"

"Chiharo," she replied, looking straight ahead.

"Was the portal that took you here one of the ones that become agitated when they don't get what they want?"

"Yes. And, I must say, it was definitely unexpected," the purple-haired Guardian said, with a shrug. "Oh, well."


	41. Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty: Tana Léo

"Eeeeek!" Chiharo cried. _He's still following me! I'm scared! _The girl skidded to a halt at the end of a dock. _What will I do? If I swim, I may not ever be able to find Daddy or Nekotiri again!_

The masked man stopped behind her. The way he stared at Chiharo truly made her afraid.

"Ah… Uh…!" the little Guardian wasn't sure what to do. Out of nowhere, she burst out crying. "I-I'll follow you! I'll go with you! Just, please, don't hurt me!" she bawled.

The yellow-haired man's face softened up a bit. But, before he had the chance to do or say anything, something wrapped around Chiharo's ankle. And, without warning, she was pulled off the dock into the water.

After a short moment, a monstrous, six-headed, snake-like creature surfaced from the water. It had its tail wrapped around the little girl's waist.

"The Serpent of Doom…," the man quietly choked out, in more shock than you think.

"Yaaaahh!" HELP ME!" Chiharo cried out.

The man in red and yellow needed no more coaxing, he leapt into the air, a large blade forming in each hand. He dove down and struck the six-headed serpent. Then, landing on top of one of the heads, he sliced cleanly through some of its scaly skin.

The Serpent of Doom shrieked in pain. It grabbed hold of the man's left leg with one of its mouths, and quickly swept him off into the water.

That made him angry. He surged out of the water and nailed the beast in its chest. The man laid a hand on Chiharo. He then wrapped an arm around her, as he sprung away from the creature.

The serpent quickly retreated back into the deep depths where it came from.

The masked man set Chiharo down and said, "It's alright!" in such a tender and soothing voice.

The little girl stared at him a moment. She smiled, replying, "Th-thank you!"

He wiped some of her tears away. "You are very welcome… Chiharo."

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I am Tana Léo, one of the greatest warriors of the Guardian race there is!" he proclaimed, proudly.

Chiharo gave him one of her angelic smiles. Then, remembering, said, "Um… Can you help me find someone I'm looking for?"

"Sure. Who is it you seek?" Tana Léo questioned.

"I need to find my daddy and another friend of mine," was her answer.

"Can you describe them to me?"

"Daddy is a huge, red-orange fire dragon named Berylsythe, and the other one is a tanned, purple-haired woman named Nekotiri," she explained.

The masked Guardian nodded. "Let's get to it, then!"


	42. Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One:

We'll Be There Soon!

"So, if you're part of the Guardian race, does that mean you can fly too?" Chiharo asked, as she and Tana Léo walked towards a village.

"What do you me- Wait! Are you saying you're also part of our species?!" then man exclaimed, freezing where he was.

The little girl blushed. "Y-yeah."

"Well, then I must give you a proper welcoming!" Tana Léo said, kneeling down. He held up the girl's hands. "I, Tana Metruu Léo, welcome you to our land, Chiharo… um… My apologies, my dear, but you never told me your last name."

"Oh… Well, I don't think I have one…," was the little Guardian's confused-as-always response.

"Then I need to give you one! Let us see… hmm… Chiharo in Ancient Mesopotamian means 'spirit'…," he pondered for a moment. "… I got it! How about 'Chiharo Onoke'?"

Chiharo's eyes lit up. "It sounds so pretty! What does it mean?"

"Onoke means 'dancer'. So, in other words, you are now called 'Spirit Dancer'."

"I love it!" the girl cheered, with twinkling eyes.

"Wonderful! Now, let me try this again. I, Tana Metruu Léo, welcome you to our land, my dear Chiharo Onoke!"

The girl gave one of her cutest smiles yet. Then, leaning forward, she gave him a hug. "Thank you," she said, sweetly.

"It was my pleasure!" he replied, proudly.

Out of nowhere, Nekotiri ran up to the two of them. "Chiharo! There you are!" the woman called, some relief heard in her voice.

Chiharo gave her a hug, then, looking around, asked, "Where's Daddy?"

"I thought he would be with you," Nekotiri responded.

Both Guardians looked at each other with the same "oh, Lord" expression on their faces.

Chiharo's face went pale all of a sudden, as she brought her hand up to her head. "Chiharo? What's wrong?" Tana Léo asked.

She closed her eyes. "Daddy…," she whispered.

"What's happening to Berylsythe?" Nekotiri questioned, more-than-worried for her friend.

"They-re hurting him…" A tear ran down her cheek. She felt such an agonizing pain

Tana Léo's horse-like companion, apparently called "Ray-uni, picked up on something. "I hear much commotion over that way!" he stated, moving his head in the direction he said.

"Then we haven't a moment to lose!" Nekotiri decided. She lifted up Chiharo and called, "We'll be there soon, Berylsythe!" She booked it through the village, Tana Léo and Ray-uni close behind.

Then came a truly horrifying sight: a group of Guardians surrounded Berylsythe and were definitely hurting him.

"Daddy!"Chiharo cried. Her headache becoming worse. She slid out of Nekotiri's arms and walked towards the group.

Berylsythe was barely able to lift his head in time to see Chiharo rise up to use the fire fury. "No, Chiharo!" he yelled to her.

The girl could hardly fathom anything going on around her. She was trying too hard to stay conscious while also controlling the fire storm. She was only able to maintain the fury for around thirty seconds. Letting out a painful cry, the attack ceased and she fell to the ground unconscious.

Berylsythe ran out of the group as fast as he was able. Chiharo was barely breathing and her heartbeat and pulse were erratic. "Chiharo…," Berylsythe choked out through his tears.

"Berylsythe, what's the matter?" Nekotiri questioned, more than scared and worried.

"Nekotiri, we're going to need help. Find all of the best healers you can. Quickly!" was his answer.

Tears began forming in the Guardian of the Purple Dragon's eyes. "What's wrong with Chiharo?" she demanded.

"Chiharo's dying, Nekotiri…," the fire dragon sobbed.

The woman froze. "No, she can't be! Say it's not true!" the tears in her eyes growing larger.


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Two:

The Thoughts of an Angel

Five healers had just finished working on Chiharo. One of them walked out to Berylsythe. "We have done all that we can."

"Is she going to be alright?" the Fire Guardian questioned.

"We are not certain, at this moment," the male healer answered. "But, the two things the girl needs most right now are time and love."

The fire dragon nodded. He walked into the small hut, where Chiharo was laid on a soft bed of feathers in front of a fire. He lie down near her, keeping his gaze on her unmoving figure.

Tears entered the dragon's eyes again. _First Elva and now must Chiharo be taken away from me too?_ Each tear worked its way down until it dropped and hit the floor. His mind raged, _Why is this happening? WHY?! If Chiharo leaves this world, I swear by my Ancestors, I-_

Berylsythe broke off. He wasn't certain why, but he heard a faint whispering in his head. He concentrated and, at first, he could have sworn it sounded like the thoughts of an angel.

Then he heard it. _Daddy? Are you okay, Daddy?!_

_Ch-Chiharo? Is that you? _the fire dragon asked, in his mind. His head throbbed as picture after picture entered his head. _Chiharo? What is this? What are you showing me?_

_It's a little complicated, but these are the things I've been seeing in my dreams._

_How are you doing this, Chiharo? I am not capable of reading your mind, so I don't fully comprehend this._

_Ever since I came to the Dragon Temple with you, I have been trying to talk to you like this. Are you saying you never heard me until now?_

_Are you trying to tell me that you were that voice in my dreams?_

_Yes, I was. That had really been the only time you had paid attention._

_I still do not really understand how you're doing this, Chiharo._

_I've been talking to Nekotiri. She tells me that you are only able to talk to someone like this if you have become bonded to each other. She also told me that it is extremely hard to reach this bond, so she was astounded to hear that I was able to do it with you so easily._

_That's a little confusing…_

_Well, back to the pictures I was showing you. Could you try to help me figure out what they mean?_

_Sure, but could you ease up on them a bit? My head begins throbbing when I see them._

_Sorry, that's the lightest I can show them to you. If I let it go any further, you won't see anything._

_I'm assuming it gives you pain, when you show me these images, as well._

_Yeah, it does a little._

_A little?_

_Heh heh. Well, some hurt more than others._

_You know, little one, you truly sound like an angel, when you talk to me like this._

_I'm smiling, Daddy._

_I'm glad to hear that._

_Alright, here comes the first picture._

The image was a small girl with red and brown hair, eyes that were half blue and half yellow, and who wore a yellow-orange jewel around her neck.

_I'm guessing that she is going to be one of the new Guardians of the Electric Dragon_, Berylsythe thought.

After going through two more images- one of the new Ice Guardians and one of the new Earth Guardians- it hit Berylsythe.

_Chiharo._

_What is it? You sound mad._

_Are you using these images to avoid me asking you why you tried to save me?_

_Oh… Um… I-it's just…_

_You severely hurt yourself this time, Chiharo._ He sounded hurt.

_I had a really bad headache. I saw them hurting you. You wouldn't fight back. I had to do something…_

_You are so brave, Chiharo. You are courageous. And you have one of the strongest spirits I have ever seen. But, your body cannot handle the power you possess._

Chiharo sobbed faintly.

_Are you going to be alright, Chiharo? Please, tell me you're going to be okay!_

_I'm not sure how much strength I will have… But, I'll try to get up._

Berylsythe opened his eyes and watched Chiharo. The girl slowly stirred. She turned her head as her eyes opened and said, "Hi, Daddy," in a very weak voice.

"Chiharo!" the Fire Guardian cried, happily.

The girl struggled sitting up. Berylsythe wanted to help her, but was too afraid he would hurt her. Chiharo looked up at him and gestured with her arms that he had permission to pick her up.

"I'm so happy you're alright," the fire dragon sobbed. Just touching Chiharo, he was able to feel her pain. It seemed like she was becoming stronger, though. The dragon had worried she was going to become ill like last time, if not worse.

The little Guardian hugged her father back. She gave him a kiss on the cheek saying, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Chiharo. I love you so, so much." He held her tighter. "Just try to be more careful next time…"


	44. Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Three: Malachi

Nekotiri poked her head around the door to the healing hut. She smiled when she saw Berylsythe embracing Chiharo.

After a moment, the purple-haired Guardian said, "I am glad to see you're alright."

Berylsythe had not anticipated this, so he jumped in surprise, exclaiming, "Nekotiri, you made me twitch!"

The Guardian of the Purple Dragon simply laughed and replied, "Sorry, Bery." She shifted her gaze to Chiharo. "As I was saying, I'm very glad to see that you're alright."

"Thank you," the little girl said.

"It's nice to see you feeling better too," Nekotiri added, giving Berylsythe one of those flirtatious half smiles.

"What are you talking about?" the fire dragon demanded, beginning to blush.

"Well, the thoughts going through your head were not exactly the quietest things in the world," was the purple-haired woman's response, as she held in the urge to laugh.

"Nekotiri…," the Fire Guardian grumbled, with a hilariously unenthused face. "Why is it that you only seem to read my mind when I'm a nervous wreck?"

Nekotiri brought a finger up to her chin. "Hmm. I don't know. Perhaps it concerns me of what is going through your head." She gave him another one of her half smiles. She turned her gaze back to Chiharo. "I have someone, which I've just been reunited with, that I would like you to meet."

The little Guardian's face lit up. "Oh! Who is-"

"Nekotiri, what is taking you so long?" a male's voice that sounded a bit like Hydrax' complained.

A large, black cat-looking creature with purple markings and yellowish-green eyes walked through the doorway.

Berylsythe looked at him in shock. "I cannot believe it. Is that really you, Malachi?"

"The one and only," the cat creature responded, a bit cockily.

Chiharo had the fire dragon set her down. She wasn't certain why, but she was feeling a strange aura coming from the black creature. The little girl stepped closer and peered into his shining eyes.

Nekotiri motioned to each of them with their names. "Chiharo, meet Malachi. Malachi, meet Chiharo."

Malachi brought his head down closer to Chiharo's level. "My goodness! You are quite a little girl, aren't you?"

The little Guardian felt a tid-bit of fear easing into her. The cat creature was slightly intimidating and he gave off the essence that he had quite strong abilities. She took a small step back, shakily asking, "What are you?"

Sensing Chiharo's feelings, Malachi said, "Do not fear, little one. I will not hurt you. I'm a Guardian Monster- Guardimon for short. It is my job to protect those of the Guardian race."

"Everyone in the Guardian race has their own Guardimon," Nekotiri added.

"You mean, I have one too?" Chiharo questioned, a mix of surprise and excitement in her voice and on her face.

"Of course you do," the purple-haired Guardian answered.

"Really?! Who is it? When will I meet them?" she asked, enthusiastically.

"That is hard to say," Berylsythe said.

"Hmm. Well, let's see. I met Malachi when I was… I think I was six," Nekotiri pondered.

Chiharo's face fell. "So… I may not meet mine for a few years…?"

It hurt Berylsythe to see her so gloomy. "It's alright, Chiharo. You're still not even a year old. You have a lot to look forward to."

"But, what if something happens and I never meet my Guardimon?" she asked.

The fire dragon wasn't sure what to say. He understood why she was so worried about something happening… And there was no way he could change that either. This upset him.

"Please don't be upset," the little Guardian pleaded, peering up at him.

"I'm sorry, Chiharo," the Fire Guardian responded, sadly.

Malachi, who had been standing by listening, said, "I'm not quite sure I understand. Why isn't he allowed to be upset?"

"Um… It's complicated," Nekotiri answered. "You see, Chiharo here is quite tuned with Berylsythe's feelings. What he feels, she will feel. And what she feels, he will feel. Whether it be happiness, sadness, anger, fear, pain, or whatnot."

"Hmm… That is very rare. Normally only a Guardian and the dragon she protects can bond in such a way," Malachi pondered.

"But… Naoko wasn't even able to bond with Berylsythe like this," Nekotiri said.

Chiharo interjected, "Um, I don't mean to be myself, but I'm confused."

Well, I probably would have drawn a question mark too.

"I do not understand much of this either," Berylsythe agreed.

Malachi smiled. "Well, I can assure you, you should feel proud to have such a bond. It is very, very special."

Chiharo and Berylsythe looked each other in the eyes and smiled.


	45. Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Four:

Renewed Hope

Tana Léo lifted the drape over the door to the hut and stuck his head in. "How goes it?" he questioned. "Is all well?"

Chiharo turned towards him with a grin spanning her face. "Hi, Tana Léo!" she greeted.

The masked man knelt in front of her. "How are you feeling, Chiharo?"

"Much better!" she replied, happily.

"I am delighted to hear that," he said, patting the girl softly on the head.

"Tana Léo and Ray-uni were worried sick about you," Nekotiri told Chiharo.

The little Guardian looked the man in the eyes. "You were really that worried about me?" she questioned.

"Of course. I have only just met you. It would be truly horrible to see you pass from this world," he answered.

Chiharo put her arms around the masked man, giving him a hug. Some tears fell from her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked, worriedly.

"Please don't worry about me," was her reply.

"What? Why?"

"Just don't. I don't want to have to worry you. Too many people already do."

Berylsythe interjected, "It's only natural that we worry about you, Chiharo. You're a kind, loving, warm-hearted girl. We love you. You renewed our hope. Don't you understand?"

The girl wore an utterly confused look on her face. "How could _I_ have renewed your hope? I am merely a little girl with powers. What could I possibly do?"

The Fire Guardian shook his head. "Oh, Chiharo. You are so much more than just that. You are the new Guardian of the Purple Dragon. And, more than that, you are my daughter. No one will ever change that. They can never change who you are. We all love who you are."

Tears streaming from her eyes, she asked, "Y-you care that much for me? Why?"

Berylsythe lifted her up, teary-eyed himself. "Because I love you, Chiharo. I love you so, so much."

"And he's not the only one," Nekotiri said. "So do Icklemar, Hydrax, Thracklor, Guss-Guss, and I."

"Yes. You are like the part of our family that was taken from us long ago," Berylsythe added.

"I may have only just met you, but even I can tell you were meant for great things," Tana Léo said.

Malachi nodded. "I must agree."

"B-but what about Digivani, Yaninn, Gelick, and everyone else? They're all frozen because of me. What's so special about that?" the little Guardian wanted to know.

"Do you know why the Drones are so bent on capturing you?" Berylsythe questioned.

Chiharo shook her head in answer.

"It's because Malefor heard word of you and became, well… afraid," the fire dragon tried to explain.

"Why would _he_ be afraid of _me_?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Your powers go far beyond what you might imagine. And he knows this. He may have been gifted with great power but yours, your powers, are far greater. A Guardian's powers are always stronger than those of the dragon she or he protects," was his response.

Malachi let out a long, partially annoyed sigh. "Must we talk of such depressing things? The new Guardian of the Purple Dragon has arrived, it should be time for rejoice and celebration!"

Tana Léo nodded. "He is right! We should welcome you with great happiness, young Chiharo Onoke!"

Berylsythe made a funny face. "Onoke?" he questioned. "Where did that come from?"

"Um… Tana Léo wanted to give me a proper welcoming, but I didn't have a last name. So, he gave me one," Chiharo answered.

"Hmm… Chiharo Onoke… That translates to 'Spirit Dancer', yes?" the fire dragon asked.

"Yes, indeed!" the masked man laughed.

Berylsythe smiled. "I think it's a wonderful name. Thank you, Tana Léo."

"It was my pleasure!" he replied, laughing again.


	46. Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Five:

The Guardians

Before the five of them exited the hut, Berylsythe changed into his humanoid form. Chiharo watched in awe, as his body became smaller, he grew long, scruffy red hair on his head, and a shirt, pants, boots, and cape appeared on his body.

"Wow…," the awed girl said.

Berylsythe's bright orange eyes opened. He shifted his gaze down to the girl and gave her a smile.

She tilted her head. "How come you never told me you could do that?"

"Well, I never needed to show you before," was his response. "I decided to now, because, well, I'm a little less intimidating like this and the Guardians seem pretty upset about what Malefor did."

"Oh… I guess that makes sense," Chiharo replied.

"Come now, you deserve the welcoming of royalty," Tana Léo said, happily.

As Chiharo walked through the door of the hut, a feeling foreign to her welled in her gut. "Daddy." She tugged on Berylsythe's sleeve. "I have a funny feeling in my belly."

"That means you're nervous," he said. "Don't worry, Chiharo. You will be fine."

The girl nodded. _Do you think everyone will like me? _she asked.

_I'm certain they will, little one._

_I'm scared._

_Don't be. It will be alright._

_Will you carry me?_

_Of course._ So, he lifted her up and held her close.

When they made it to the center of the village, Tana Léo and Ray-uni lead the group onto a large, elevated platform. A crowd of Guardians started forming. After enough gathered, Tana Léo announced, "Fellow Guardians, please bid welcome to the new Guardian of the Purple Dragon, Chiharo Onoke!"

A loud, mighty cheer rose up from the group of Guardians.

Chiharo glanced around. _Are they all cheering for me?_ she wondered. _If so, why?_

Out of nowhere, a little girl that Chiharo recognized ran up to her. That hair… The outfit… Duh! It was Mina!

"Chiharo! How are you?" she asked, overjoyed.

"I'm wonderful. What about you, Mina?" Chiharo replied, with a smile.

Before she could answer, another girl a few years older than Mina walked up to them. "You must be Chiharo," she said, bowing to her.

"Y-yes, I am," Chiharo responded, bowing back. "What's your name?"

"I am Arrel Plowse, older sister of Mina and warrior in training," she stated, proudly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"As to you," Arrel said, with a smile. She turned to some girls in front of the platform. "Meet Chiharo!" she called, waving a hand towards the girl.

The other girls walked up to meet her. Arrel motioned to each of the girls corresponding to their names. "These are my closest friends Kakurine, Noriaki, Miidori, Toku, Gaku, Riori, and Sayuri."

Kakurine was around the same age as Chiharo and had solid purple hair. Noriaki was close to the same age, as well, with long, bouncy dark brown hair. Miidori was a little older and had fire-red hair. Toku and Gaku appeared as young as Chiharo. Toku's hair was a fiery yellow and Gaku's a watery blue. Riori was older and had indigo-ish hair. And last, but certainly not least, Sayuri was maybe a year older and had goldenrod colored hair.

All of the girls welcomed the new Guardian happily. Chiharo had never felt such a feeling of acceptance before in her life.

She felt so happy…


	47. Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Six:

Absolutely Wonderful

To honor Chiharo's arrival, the Guardians had a huuuge feast- not joking about the huge part.

During the celebration, groups would come up one at a time to meet the little girl. Everyone was just so nice to her. Several of them even apologized to Berylsythe for attacking him. And, many were honored to meet the almighty Nekotiri.

Before another came up, Berylsythe asked Chiharo, "So, how do you like it here?"

"I think it's absolutely wonderful," the girl answered. She dropped her voice down to a whisper. "But, I would really like to go home soon."

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No. I don't know why. I just feel like something's going to happen." She let out a sigh. "It's the same feeling I got before the Drones attacked the castle in New Mesopotamia-3. I'm a little worried."

"I am sorry, Chiharo. I wish there was something I could do to ease your feelings," Berylsythe replied.

"It's okay, Daddy. I don't want to worry you. I just wanted to let you know is all."

"Well, I'm glad you told me, rather than keeping your feelings a secret," he said, with a smile.

Nekotiri leaned over to them. "Hey, after the last few groups come up, do you two want to go for a walk? It's a little too crowded in here for me."

"I would enjoy that," was the Fire Guardian's response.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Chiharo agreed.


	48. Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Seven:

Snowball of the Mountain.

After meeting the rest of the Guardians and finishing eating, Berylsyt6he, Nekotiri, and Chiharo decided to go for a stroll on a lovely mountainside.

The foreboding feeling Chiharo had grew deeper and more intense. It became so horrible, the girl began to shake uncontrollably.

"Are you feeling alright, Chiharo?" Berylsythe asked, now back in his dragon form.

"S-something's c-coming," she stuttered, shaking even more (as if that was possible).

"Are you sure you're going to be fine?" the dragon questioned, growing worried.

The girl let out an ear-splitting cry as she fell to her knees.

"Chiharo!" Berylsythe called.

"Um, Berylsythe…," Nekotiri said, in a tone the dragon had never liked the sound of. As he turned towards her, she pointed ahead, asking, "What is that?"

Just a few paces in front of them, a large, four-legged creature, with an evil-looking glare in its eyes stood.

"It… looks like a Guardimon… but…," he wasn't exactly certain. He did know one thing though, "We must keep it away from Chiharo."

The purple-haired woman nodded. She and Berylsythe took their stances and awaited the creature to attack.

The large beast's eyes flashed and, without warning, the fire dragon and purple-haired Guardian hit the ground.

Berylsythe tried to stand up, but found he was unable to move. The answer dawned on him: it could control gravity!

The creature unfurled huge, hidden black wings and flew over Nekotiri and Berylsythe, landing in front of Chiharo.

The girl could only look at it, paralyzed and scared to death. "Daddy…," she whispered.

Just as the beast was going to strike, a female's voice commanded, "Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"

The Fire Guardian shifted his gaze the best he could, to see a white cat creature. She had purple stripes on her tail, the same icy-blue, electric-yellow eyes Chiharo had, a star mark on her fore head, a gold head piece, and she wore gloves, boots, and a belt.

"No one shall harm the one I was sent to protect," the cat creature hissed.

_Chiharo's Guardimon!_ Berylsythe realized, the light going on.

The other creature simply let out an agitated, "Roar!"

Out of nowhere, the cat girl opened her mouth and let a powerful flamethrower spew, yelling, "Sacred Blast-Fire!" She then sprung into the air, calling, "Lightning Claw!" as she dove into the flames.

The large beast flew away frantically, releasing its hold on Nekotiri and Berylsythe.

The Fire Guardian turned toward the cat creature. "Thank you," he said, bowing. "You saved my daughter, how could I possibly show my gratitude?"

"No need for thanks," she replied. "I am simply doing my duty."

"May we at least know your name?" Nekotiri asked.

"I am Snowball!" she answered, proudly. "Snow ball of the mountain! I am one of the greatest Guardimons to live."

The fire dragon smiled, then brought his attention back to Chiharo. "Are you alright, little one?" he wanted to know.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. But, what about you?" was the little girl's response.

Berylsythe wasn't quite sure how to reply to this. Nekotiri smiled. He just wasn't used to someone asking him how something affected him or made him feel. It made the purple-haired woman happy to see Chiharo put him on the spot like that.

"I… I guess I'm alright," he answered, after a few moments.

"I'm glad!" Chiharo chimed, smiling angelically.

The Fire Guardian didn't have time to reply, for the ground began shaking violently. He heard a not-so-healthy-sounding cracking noise. And, he looked up just in time to see dozens of boulders nearly on top of them.

Nekotiri was able to protect herself, but Berylsythe realized he hadn't taught Chiharo how to use Bubble Protection. Not that she'd have the energy to use it anyway. So, he stood over the little girl, taking the brunt of the boulders. But… One of the rocks managed to knock the dragon to his side.

The last thing that could be heard was Berylsythe yelling, "CHIHARO!"


	49. Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Eight: Cute + Clueless

The rubble shifted as Berylsythe lifted his head. He looked around frantically. "Chiharo?" he called. "Chiharo!" Tears began welling in his eyes. "Chiharo, where are you?! Answer me!" _No. No! NO! Not again! Not Chiharo!_ his mind raged.

The fire dragon turned his head at the sound of movement. Chiharo stuck her head out of the rocks. "Daddy?" she asked.

"Chiharo!" the Fire Guardian cried, gleefully. He stood up fully and lifted up the girl, gently. "Are you alright?" he sobbed, holing her close.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Snowball protected me," she replied, hugging him back.

Nekotiri, standing a few paces away from them and smiling, said, "You know, Berylsythe, it intrigues me to see how Chiharo's absence and presence affect you."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he demanded, defensively.

"I mean, when she isn't around, you seem, well, _lost_," the Guardian responded.

Snowball, who stood beside Nekotiri, nodded. "It is true. I felt a strange change in emotion from you," she agreed.

Berylsythe had no way to get out of this or contradict what they said, and, what was worse was, he knew it. The only thing he could do was make a hilariously unenthused face, causing Nekotiri to giggle.

The fire dragon turned his attention to Snowball. "Thank you, again, for saving Chiharo."

"It was my pleasure, mighty Berylsythe!" she laughed.

The Fire Guardian made that funny face again. "Mighty, eh?" he asked, almost laughing at himself.

Snowball stepped towards Chiharo and handed her something. The little Guardian looked at it in wonder. "What…?"

"It's a Synchronizer," Nekotiri answered. "It allows you to bond to your Guardimon. With it, she can share your energy and transform to stronger, more powerful forms. Not only that, if you are in need of help, you can use it to call her."

"Um… okay?" Chiharo replied, not really understanding.

"I have one more thing for you," Snowball said, draping a necklace around the girl's neck. "This pendant is called a Synchren. To be able to use it, you must do what it requires of you. Your Synchren in the Turquois Star of Determination."

"What does it require me to do?" the little Guardian questioned, tilting her head.

"You must figure that out on your own," Berylsythe said, with a smile.

Chiharo's confusion grew even greater.

The Fire Guardian chuckled. "I swear by our Ancestors, the more clueless you are, the cuter you become, Chiharo."

She blushed slightly.

"Yup! That's Chiharo- cute and clueless," Nekotiri chimed.

Chiharo felt greatly embarrassed. Sensing this, Berylsythe said, "There's no need to be embarrassed, little one. We love you just the way you are."

Nekotiri nodded in total agreement.

The little Guardian smiled brightly. "I'm glad!" she replied, happily.


	50. Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Forty-Nine: Geez…

On their way back to the Guardian village, Berylsythe said to Chiharo, "Perhaps it would be good for us to get you home. I would rather not risk anything happening without the others around."

"I agree," Nekotiri stated, with a nod. "Well, that and I'm _slightly_ worried there will be no Temple by the time we get back."

"Why?" Chiharo questioned.

Berylsythe chuckled. "Icklemar and Hydrax haven't exactly been known to get along very well. But, even so, Thracklor isn't afraid to speak his mind about things, nor wary of giving both of them what-fors for their consistent arguing," he answered.

"Truth be told," the purple-haired Guardian returned, with a laugh.

"How does going back to the village, saying goodbye, and leaving sound?" the fire dragon suggested.

"Sounds good," the woman agreed. "How about you, Chiharo?"

The little girl nodded. "Yeah. That sounds fine, but do you think everyone here will be alright?"

Berylsythe smiled at her. "Yes, I am certain that everyone will be just fine. Don't worry, little one."

She smiled back, angelically.

The Fire Guardian gave her a nudge with his muzzle. "You don't like others to worry about you, yet you worry about them?"

Chiharo blushed. "W-well… it's just… bad things tend to happen when people worry about me."

The fire dragon wasn't quite sure what to say to that. It may have been true, or may not have. Either way, he intended to keep Chiharo safe, let no one ever try to harm her. That much he did know.

Wanting to try and cheer her up, he surprised the girl by scooping her up with his left paw into the air.

The little Guardian laughed happily. "Daddy! Hahaha! Put me down!" she called.

Berylsythe chuckled loudly. Nekotiri smiled at the sight of the two of them enjoying themselves.

Setting Chiharo back down, the fire dragon said, "When we get back to the Temple and _after_ you have rested up, I'm going to have to teach you how to use Bubble Protection."

She tilted her head. "Bubble Protection?"

Nekotiri gave a nod. "You will be able to form a bluish barrier of energy around you, to help keep yourself from harm."

"Yes," Berylsythe confirmed. "But, as I said, _after_ you rest."

"And then you'll teach me your fire blast and the second Fire Fury, right?" Chiharo asked, hopefully.

He chuckled. "Yes, Chiharo. I will. In fact, I may teach you them before Bubble Protection."

"After Berylsythe's done teaching you, Icklemar will start working with you on your electricity abilities," the purple-haired woman said.

The Fire Guardian nodded in agreement. "Then Hydrax will teach you to master ice. And, after that, Thracklor will help you hone your skills of earth."

He shifted his gaze upwards, making another funny face. "You know, it must feel pretty amazing to be able to learn so many abilities. But, geez, mastering fire was hard enough. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to learn more than one element."

Both Nekotiri and Chiharo laughed. "Actually, it's really not all that hard," the purple-haired Guardian said. "Those four elements just focus on certain moods- fire works best with anger, electricity with happiness and excitement, ice when you feel, well, _cold_, and earth is calmness," she explained.

"So, you're calling me a hot-head are you?" Berylsythe questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" she laughed again. "All I said was that fire comes _best_ with anger."

"Okay, so I'm hot-headed _often_," he corrected himself.

The woman patted him on the shoulder. "Heh heh! Only when you need to be."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" the fire dragon demanded, jokingly.

The two girls giggled practically uncontrollably and Berylsythe smiled.


	51. Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty:

Another Vision

After saying their good-byes to everyone, Berylsythe opened a portal back to the Dragon Temple. Just as Chiharo was going through, though, she had another vision…

_Chiharo was with another girl who had golden blonde hair and shining sapphire eyes. It couldn't quite be made out where they were, but a sparkling stream could be seen somewhere in the background…_

"Chiharo," Berylsythe said, attempting to get her attention. He nudged her with his muzzle. "Chiharo!"

She blinked, coming out of the vision, and looked around frantically.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, worriedly.

The girl nodded. "Um… Yeah… I just…"

"Were you having another vision?" Nekotiri asked.

The little Guardian nodded again.

Berylsythe smiled. "We'll talk about it after we let Thracklor and the others know we have returned. I'm certain they have been quite worried."

"Okay," she replied, following him through the door from the Training Room to the Chamber of the Pool of Visions.

As soon as the door opened, Thracklor, Icklemar, Hydrax, and Guss-Guss' heads perked up. It was the Electric Guardian who spoke first. "Oh, thank goodness you're all back!" he said, excitedly. "I was beginning to believe something horrible had befallen you!"

Berylsythe gave a chuckle. "Well, your 'beginning to believing' was partially correct."

"What do you mean?" Thracklor questioned.

"Let's just say Chiharo gave us a bit of a scare," was the fire dragon's answer.

"More times than once," Nekotiri added.

"Well, no matter what happened, I am positive we're all glad you are back safe and sound," Hydrax said.

Guss-Guss gave a nod. "I couldn't possibly agree more. I'm not sure what I would have done, had you not returned."

Berylsythe smiled. "Well, we couldn't be happier to be back." He glanced down at Chiharo. "Now, if you would all excuse Chiharo and myself- we have something in need of discussion."

Thracklor nodded. "Feel free to. I'm certain Nekotiri will like to fill us in on what happened."

"Absolutely," the purple-haired woman responded.

Berylsythe and Chiharo headed back through the door to the Training Room and into her room under the statue. After the little girl was settled on her bed, the Fire Guardian said, "So, tell me about this new vision."

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain. I mean, it wasn't a full-on vision," she replied.

"What could you make out? What was clear?"

Chiharo concentrated, trying to remember everything. "It felt like I was slightly older in it, even though I still looked the same. I was sitting next to a girl around the same age as myself. She had golden hair and sapphire eyes. We seemed to be playing a game and talking. There was a stream in the back too. It didn't make much sense to me. But…"

"But what?"

"A word, a name came to me, in my mind."

"What name would that be?"

She looked up into his eyes and answered, "Coreiyo."

The fire dragon's eyes widened. "Chiharo, do you know what that name means?"

The Guardian shook her head then tilted it to the side, a confused look on her face.

"Where is your book on Draconicah?" he asked.

She slipped off her bed, walked over to her bookshelf, and pulled the book off of it. The girl turned to the page with the name on it. "The book says it means… 'Friend of the Eastern Supreme God'."

"Exactly," Berylsythe stated.

"I don't understand what that has to do with her and I being together and playing."

"I do not know for certain. However, it's clear that something special is going to happen to you in the future," the fire dragon said.

* * *

**Woot! This should be the halfway mark of this book. I really hope so! :P**


	52. Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-One:

How Much do you Like Cats?

After their talk, Berylsythe and Chiharo rejoined the others, had something to eat, and went to bed.

The next morning, Chiharo woke up to a fluffy yellow tail in her face. She let out a little yell as she sat up. To her surprise, the looked to where the tail went and found it was coming from her own tailbone.

The Guardian rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. While doing so, though, she felt something soft and opened her eyes back up to see black fur covering her hands.

Beginning to panic, Chiharo jumped off her bed and went to look in the mirror on the other side of the room. Her eyes went wide as she gazed at her reflection.

Two black cat-like ears stood on the top of her head, her pupils were narrower and pointed at the top and bottom, her nose also resembled that of a cats, her tail, the paw-like forms of her hands, and, oddest of all, there was yellow fur covering her upper torso and shoulders, he mark of the kygal showing clear-as-day on it.

Before she could look any further, however, the door to her room opened and Berylsythe poked his head, asking, "Are you alright, Chiharo? I heard you-"

"D-don't come in!" she cried, running and hiding under her bed.

The Fire Guardian tilted his head. "Why, little one? What's wrong?" he questioned.

"I… uh… It's just…," she struggled with the words.

"It will be fine, Chiharo," he said, stepping closer.

"Well, um… how much do you like cats, Daddy?" the girl asked.

"What do you mean? Why don't you come out so I can see you?"

"How much do you like cats?" she asked again, more meaningfully.

"Oh, well, I'd say I like them just fine. Why do you ask?" came the fire dragon's reply.

"There's, uh… I mean… I…"

"Why don't you just come out and show me?" Berylsythe questioned, beginning to catch on.

"… Alright… but, please, don't be mad," Chiharo said, almost pleadingly.

"It will be fine, little one. I assure you," he replied, reassuringly.

With that, the girl crawled out from under her bed, shame written all over her face. Berylsythe simply smiled at her. "Was that all you were worried about?"

She looked up deep into his eyes. "Y-you mean it's okay?"

The Fire Guardian chuckled. "It's much more than okay!" he responded, rather enthusiastically.

"What do you mean?" the little Guardian asked, tilting her head.

He pointed to the kygal mark on her chest. "It's just the feline half of your kygal within."

"So… it's a _good_ thing?" the girl questioned, hopefully.

"It is magnificent, Chiharo! I'm very proud of you for learning to do that so quickly," he answered, ever so sweetly.

She gave him one of her angelic smiles. Figuring that, if the cat features came from the mark like her wings, then she should be able to return to normal just the same. And so, she did. After doing so, her stomach growled loudly. "Can we go get something to eat?" the girl asked.

The fire dragon chuckled. "Yes, of course," he replied.


	53. Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Two:

Berylsythe's Fire Blast of Infernal Ruin

During breakfast, Chiharo turned towards Berylsythe, asking, "Will I finally be able to learn your fire blast, today?"

He chuckled in return and answered, "Yes, I suppose you've waited long enough, haven't you?"

The girl nodded excitedly, in response.

Moments later in the Training Room…

"Remember, Chiharo, it's just a combination between the fire blast and bomb I taught you before," Berylsythe said.

"Don't worry, I do," came the girl's response, as she began to concentrate and calm her mind.

The Fire Guardian gave a nod and summoned several monkey dummies.

Just as the dummies surrounded Chiharo, she opened her eyes and let the fire flow from within, spinning in a large circle.

As the fire faded and the dummies vanished, Berylsythe called, "Bravo, Chiharo! That was wonderful!"

She smiled in return. Excitedly, she asked, "Will you teach me the second Fire Fury now?"

"Well…," the fire dragon hesitated.

"What is it?" she questioned, confused.

"I just don't think you're ready to learn it yet," he answered.

"What do you mean?" the girl wanted to know, more of a desperate look on her face.

Thracklor cleared his throat. "I think what he means to say is you will need to learn something else, before he teaches you the Fire Fury," he explained.

Berylsythe nodded in agreement.

"I can handle it," Chiharo said. "What do I need to learn?"

"Unfortunately, Chiharo, it isn't something I can teach you," the Fire Guardian stated.

The little Guardian tilted her head. "Why not?"

"You must learn to manipulate the time around you," he responded.

"Manipulate _time_?" Chiharo pondered.

"Yes, and Nekotiri is the one who will have to train you in that element."

The girl looked over at the older Guardian. "You can control time?" she awed.

"To an extent, yes," came Nekotiri's answer.

"Wow! Is… Is it hard?"

"In the beginning, yes, but, after as many years as I've been doing it, it's quite easy."

"Alright! When do we start?" the little Guardian chimed.

"As soon as you want to," Nekotiri said, with a smile.

Berylsythe nodded and motioned for everyone to leave the girls alone and move to the Chamber of the Pool of Visions.

As soon as they were alone, Nekotiri began instructing Chiharo.

Sitting down on the floor in the Lotus Position, the woman said, "You must start in a meditative pose."

So, Chiharo sat down and did as she was told.

"Calm your mind and body. Feel the world around you. Feel the time passing by."

Chiharo took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles and emptying her mind.

"Very good. Now, focus all of your energy while still feeling the flow of time."

Power began to well inside the Guardian's stomach. Then, slowly, she allowed it to course throughout her body.

"Excellent, Chiharo. Now, just bring it out and let the energy flow."

Both Guardians let their energy out at the same time. "There," Nekotiri said, "you did it."

"This is kind of hard," came Chiharo's response.

"It will get easier with practice. Don't worry," the older Guardian reassured her.

"How do I stop?" the little Guardian asked.

"Just release your hold on the energy and time will resume normally," Nekotiri answered.

So, they both released it and relaxed.

"I'm very impressed, Chiharo," the purple-haired woman congratulated, patting the girl on the head. "I didn't even succeed my first attempt at controlling time."

"Really?!" she questioned, her eyes sparkling.

Nekotiri laughed. "Yes, really."

Chiharo sighed. "So, what now?"

"Well," Nekotiri pondered, "you don't want to overexert your energy, so I won't have you do that again just yet. Instead of just doing nothing, though, you should work on your combat and spirit training."

"Okay!" was the girl's response.


	54. Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Three:

Rest + Relaxation

"So, I will assist Chiharo in training for the next ten days. Each day will consist of meditating, time training, combat training, and more meditating," Nekotiri explained. "What do you think, Berylsythe?"

"That sounds as though it will work just fine," the Fire Guardian agreed, with a nod. Shifting his gaze to Chiharo, he asked, "Are you sure you can handle this?"

The little Guardian smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

"For now, though, why don't you relax a little?" Nekotiri suggested. "I want you to be well rested for tomorrow."

"Okay," Chiharo replied.

And so, she got some paper and drawing utensils and began drawing in the Chamber of the Pool of Visions.

After a little while, Icklemar came up behind Chiharo, asking, "What are you drawing?"

The little Guardian smiled. "They're just scenes and people that I've seen in visions, nothing really special."

"But your drawing skills are exemplary. They're simply amazing," came the electric dragon's reply. "You are very gifted, little one."

"Thanks, Icklemar," the girl responded.

"You are quite welcome."

"Hey, um, Icklemar… I was wondering…," she started.

"What is it?" the Electric Guardian asked.

"Do you think that there might be, like… I don't know… like a person in the sky that watches over everything? Maybe even someone who watches over the galaxy, or even the whole universe? Someone like the Ancestors, only more humanoid?" she questioned.

"Hmm," the electric dragon pondered. "In all my years, I have never been asked such a question. But, now that I consider the subject… I would say… yes, I am almost certain that such a being exists," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, in the dream I had last night, I dreamt of these beings, apparently called 'Kais', who watch over the universe," Chiharo explained. "I looked up the word 'Kai' in both my dictionary and book on Draconicah and found that it has many different meanings. Some are, like, 'keeper of the keys', 'earth', 'beautiful', and 'sea'. In Draconicah, it's roughly translated to 'pure spirited beings'."

She took a deep breath. "Anyway, in my dream, there were three different sets- four regular ones, each watching over a different quadrant of the universe; then there was one above them who kept them in order; and my dream hinted towards an even higher Kai than him. That's all."

"I see," Icklemar said. "When you have dreams and visions like this, does it confuse you at all?"

"Sometimes, but I'm always confused anyway. So, it's not like it really matters, anyway."

Icklemar chuckled. "Well, I am unable to argue with that. But, in any case, it is still quite intriguing that you have dreams and vision as such."

"It's not really all that interesting to me, seeing as I've had them almost all of the nineteen days I've been living," Chiharo said.

"That does make sense," the electric dragon responded. After another moment, he said, "You know, Chiharo, even though it may not have seemed like it when you arrived, I am glad that you are here. I want to apologize for hurting you in any way I may have."

"There's no need to be sorry, Icklemar. I understand how you must have felt. But, anyway, I accept your apology," came the little Guardian's reply.

"Thracklor, Hydrax, and myself have felt horrible ever since," Icklemar stated, a hint of shame in his voice.

"I told you, it's alright. I forgive you Icklemar. There is nothing to worry about," Chiharo repeated.

"You are a sweet girl, Chiharo," the Electric Guardian said.

"Really? I thought I was cute and clueless. That's what Nekotiri and Daddy called me," the girl returned.

The electric dragon chuckled again. "Is that so? Well, that's actually quite accurate, if I do say so myself."

"Oh, gee, thanks," the little Guardian joked.


	55. Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Four: Meditating

"Chiharo, time to wake up," Berylsythe said, nudging her.

The girl opened her eyes a little. "Hi, Daddy."

"Good morning, little one. Let's go have some breakfast, alright?" the Fire Guardian suggested.

"Sure, I'm _really_ hungry," the little Guardian said, stretching.

"I'm certain you are. And, you'll need all of the strength you can get for training today," he replied.

"Why? Is it going to be _that_ hard?" she asked.

"Well, knowing Nekotiri, she probably isn't going to go easy on you," came Berylsythe's response, as he turned to leave the room.

Chiharo hopped off her bed and followed the dragon.

After having a large- and delicious! -breakfast, Chiharo and Nekotiri went to the Training Room.

"Alright," the purple-haired woman started. "First things first, you must learn to fully control your mental energy."

"Oh, okay," the girl replied. "How, exactly, am I supposed to do that?"

"Through intense meditation," came the older Guardian's response. "Take your position."

"I guess that makes sense," Chiharo said, crossing her legs.

"Close your eyes and empty your mind, Chiharo," Nekotiri told her.

The little Guardian nodded and did as she was told.

Five minutes later…

"Is it okay if I move now?" Chiharo asked.

"Stay still. Please," Nekotiri responded.

"I'm bored," the girl said, opening an eye.

"Don't talk. Eyes shut," the woman replied, sternly.

"Are you sure this will make me stronger?" Chiharo questioned.

"Even you asking that is wasteful," Nekotiri answered. "Countless, unnecessary movements, like the wings of a fledgling bird- they can flap, but not fly."

"Uuuh… Okay."

"You need to be like a stone," the woman stated.

"A stone?"

"Yes. Calm and still, so the rain and wind cannot move you. Do you understand?" Nekotiri replied.

"Oh! That's easy!" Chiharo claimed, curling up into a ball and covering her face. "How's this?"

"Stones do not have voices," she said, flicking the girl on the head.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Chiharo yelped, sitting up and holding her head.

"Nor do they feel pain," she added.

With that, Chiharo took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to ignore the pain. _Being a stone is a lot harder than it looks_, the girl decided.

Fifteen more minutes passed. _So, this is what it's like being a stone? _Chiharo thought. _It's kind of cool. You're always relaxed and your mind just wanders- just like a butterfly. It's almost like dreaming, but better. I can think of whatever I want to. Hmm… I wonder how everyone back in the Guardian Village is doing? I hope they're safe. And what about everyone who was frozen by the Drones? I hope they're going to be alright._

Sensing that Chiharo wasn't concentrating, Nekotiri materialized a pebble and flicked it towards the girl.

Chiharo's eyes snapped open. She held her head and shifted her gaze over to the older Guardian.

"Mm-mm-mm!" Nekotiri warned, shaking a finger.

"Uh… _Oh_." _Stones don't think either. They just sit there and think of… nothing_, the girl realized, as she closed her eyes again.

Nekotiri materialized another pebble and flicked it at her. This time, though, Chiharo tilted her head back and it missed, making the older Guardian smile. _Now she's learning to truly relax her mind_, she thought, giving a satisfied sigh.


	56. Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Five:

Nekotiri's Story

After successfully meditating for a couple of hours, Nekotiri said, "Alright, Chiharo. Are you ready for the time segment of your training?"

Hearing her name being said, the girl snapped out of the trance she was in. "Uh, sure," she replied.

"Very well," the woman said, taking a seat and crossing her legs.

"Um, Nekotiri. Before we start, can I ask you some questions?" Chiharo asked.

"Of course," was the older Guardian's response. "What is it you want to know?"

"Well, I've been wanting to ask, what are the Guardians of the Dragons supposed to do?"

"Are you telling me that no one's ever told you?" Nekotiri questioned, in total disbelief.

The little Guardian shook her head then tilted it. "I know that each one has a dragon, from the story you told me, but that's about it. Was someone supposed to tell me?"

The woman sighed. "The Guardian of the Dragons were originally created to accomplish one thing: keep their dragons safe and the world at peace," she explained.

Chiharo nodded. "I see… I remember hearing before that a Guardian is meant to be stronger than the dragon she protects. Is that true?"

"Yes, indeed," Nekotiri confirmed.

"If that's so, then how come you needed the help of Daddy, Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor to seal Malefor in Convexity?" she wanted to know.

"Honestly, Chiharo, I don't really know," the woman admitted. "What I do know is that, at some point, something in Malefor had changed and he began growing stronger. I didn't realize what was going on until he began trying to exterminate my people… Then, when he attempted to destroy me, I knew I had to do something. The only problem was that, somehow, he managed to exceed my power. Berylsythe and the others were able to weaken him enough, for me to be able to lock him in Convexity during our final battle."

"What happened afterwards? Daddy told me he thought you had died."

"After I finally managed to win, I was so drained of power that I nearly did die." She sighed again. "I felt as though I had failed in my role as a Guardian and was too ashamed to return to the Temple."

"Then, how come you were so bent on coming back, after you met me?"

"I thought that, if I brought the new Guardian of the Purple Dragon with me and had her trained to be stronger than myself, that I would be able to redeem my failure."

Chiharo tilted her head. "I don't think you failed, Nekotiri. If you hadn't sealed Malefor in Convexity, he would have continued to wreak havoc, wouldn't he?"

The older Guardian pondered this. "Yes, I'm certain he would have, why?"

"Then, by doing so, you helped to keep peace in the world, didn't you? At least, the best you could."

Nekotiri's eyes widened. In all the five hundred years she had had to think about everything, _that_ thought had _never_ crossed her mind. "So… I didn't do anything wrong, after all..," she said, more to herself.

The purple-haired woman leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Chiharo in an embrace. "Thank you, Chiharo," she said. "Thank you for everything."


	57. Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Six:

Time Training

"Alright. Back to business," Nekotiri stated, settling back into the Lotus Position.

Chiharo smiled. "Okay!"

"Remember to keep both your mind and body calm, feeling the flow of time," the older Guardian reminded the younger.

"Yup," the girl said, taking in a deep breath.

"Focus all of your energy towards the time, becoming one with it."

The energy flowed easier within Chiharo this time, to her own surprise.

"Now, just bring it out."

Both Guardians unleashed their energy simultaneously.

"Excellent, Chiharo," Nekotiri complimented. "I want you to hold this for as long as you can comfortably."

The girl nodded, keeping all of her energy focused.

After, what felt like, a few minutes passed, "I think that's all I can do," Chiharo said.

"Alright. Release your hold," Nekotiri replied.

The little Guardian practically collapsed from the effort. "How did I do?" she asked, after catching her breath.

"That was magnificent. Truly magnificent," the older Guardian responded, honestly. She patted the girl on the head. "You never cease to amaze me."

"What do you mean?" Chiharo questioned.

"It took me nearly a month to be able to slow time for that long," Nekotiri answered, with a smile. _And, at this rate, she should exceed my power in no time at all_, she thought, satisfied.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Standing up, the woman said, "Now, how's about we get some lunch?"

The girl's eyes lit up. "Sure! I'm starving," she replied, happily.

"Heh heh," Nekotiri laughed. "Come on, then."

Once everyone was seated at the table and given food, Berylsythe shifted his gaze over to Chiharo and Nekotiri, asking, "So, how is training going?"

Both girls smiled. "Chiharo's doing better than I anticipated," Nekotiri replied.

A look a mixture between excitement and astonishment crossed the fire dragon's features. Even _he _hadn't expected Chiharo to go beyond _Nekotiri's_ expectations. "Well, then," he managed to say. "Congratulations, Chiharo."

The little girl smiled angelically, saying, "Thank you! I'm having lots of fun."

"I'm glad to hear that," Nekotiri said.

"As am I," Berylsythe echoed.

After a few minutes of eating, Chiharo looked up at Berylsythe and said, "Um… can I ask you something, Daddy?"

"Absolutely," he replied, with a smile. "What is it?"

"I've been wondering, you do know how to do the next Fire Fury, right?" she asked.

"Of course," he said.

"How does it work if you can't control time?" she wanted to know.

"I use a non-time oriented version of it, just as Icklemar, Hydrax, and Thracklor do with their second furies," he explained.

"I see," Chiharo said, beginning to understand.


End file.
